Damage Control
by Miss-Rainy-Skies
Summary: It's hard pretending to be Austin Moon's girlfriend. Rephrase; it's hard pretending to be Austin Moon's girlfriend while you're falling hard for him in the process. Auslly/Multi-chapter
1. Balancing and Banters

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally or any of the characters.**

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><p>Ally Dawson was no fool.<p>

She was actually plenty smart, mind you.

Sure she had a tendency to ramble on and on when she was nervous. Maybe she did ask a tad too many questions when she got excited.

And god knows how awful her stage fright is.

But she had long since learned the beauty of balancing things.

Like her dear old father always told her, it's not about how much you carry; it's about how good you are at balancing what's on your plate.

And she had always done a pretty decent job at maintaining her top notch school grades at school and the number of work hours her father insisted on having her take care of. She was used to lecturing her Latina friend the importance of keeping a job and how a little diligence and effort goes a long way.

She was used to cramming up in the practice room full of inventory and unsold instrument parts, hitting all the right notes perfectly on her old forsaken piano, fantasizing of one day finally being able to live the life she wanted.

Her balancing scale was just a little thrown off by the new friendships she soon acquired. Because really, when you throw in a wind-swept blond song thief with a killer voice and a freckled red head pulling a kangaroo, your scale tipping slightly was kind of to be expected.

Somewhere between all the mischief and mayhem her group of friends caused her, she had worked out a new scale- actually less of a scale, more of a teeter totter that was constantly tipping and rising in an irregular fashion.

And in that sorry excuse for a scale she found a sense of peace.

So when Austin started acting especially nice to her that particular day, she knew something was up.

Not that he was usually unkind to her or anything like that, just the fact that he offered to stack up _all_ the boxes that arrived the night before, or the fact he singlehandedly polished the clarinets he made fun of her for polishing just the previous day.

And maybe it was the way his eyes seemed to flutter nervously when she questioned him on his sudden attempts at being considerate.

There were also several instances where he looked like he was about to say something but would then decide against it and close his mouth. A process repeated so many times she internally compared him to a gutless fish in her mind at one point.

Now if this were any other day she would have sat him down and had a long talk with him about modesty and feelings before forcing out whatever it was that he wanted from her.

But of course, this wasn't any other day the store was inexplicably crowded this particular day with even a line up stretching to the door in the afternoon.

So instead she was thankful to have Austin's help in the store that day and settled for just doing a quick mental check on all the instruments Austin could have possibly destroyed which might have been the cause of his guilt and over niceness.

It was only when the store was locked up and she was leaning over the front counter in exhaustion over a long day's work did he finally come up to her.

She looked up at him expectantly with a slight tinge of a smile. _This ought to be good._

"Busy day." Austin conversed casually. Or almost casually, if it weren't for his nervous stance and constant hand twitching she might have actually believed he was attempting conversation.

Never the less, Ally nodded along, deciding to humor him.

"Yeah, one of our worst." She propped her elbows up on the counter and stared back at him with glassy brown eyes as if daring him to carry through with his plans.

Austin's eyes flickered as if he was hoping her answer would have been longer and could have spared him a couple more seconds before he would be obligated to spit out the inevitable. He scratched his hair for a full minute before he leaned over to her, resting his hands on the register.

"I need a favor."

Ally tilted her head with a knowing smirk and she walked over to him with her arms crossed in false surprise even though it was the most obvious thing in the world by now.

"Oh really, tell me about it."

Austin seemed to have regained most of his confidence as he took a step closer to her before he put both his hands on Ally's shoulders.

"Okay," He looked up at her with hopeful and slightly fearful eyes, "I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend."

And the sly smile playing on Ally's thin lips immediately vanished.


	2. Packing and Pondering

**Disclaimer: I do not Austin and Ally or any of the characters**

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><p>The Sonic Boom was quiet for a large period of time as the impact of Austin's request finally dawned on Ally. She looked at him to check if he was joking. When she found no sign of decisiveness in those dark eyes of his, she decided she must have heard wrong.<p>

"What?" She flatly asked.

The brunette extended her neck as she held a hand to her ear looking very similar to an old lady trying to process information that her grandson had just told her.

The blond removed his hands from her shoulders and pressed them together as if her were trying to find the right words to put together in the less horrific way possible.

He resorted to using obvious gestures.

"I," he pointed to himself, "need you," he motioned to her now, who was looking beyond unamused at this moment, "to pretend to be my girlfriend." He concluded once again adding a friendly smile at the end.

He's got another thing coming if he thinks a simple smile would be enough to get him off the hook.

She momentarily dropped her look of indignation and replaced it with one of confusion. She squared her shoulders.

"Why?" Her voice rang about three octaves higher than normal and at the same time it practically oozed in disbelief for the boy in front of her.

Austin bowed his head in defeat, finally looking like he was fully ready to confess.

"I told my parents you were my girlfriend." He mumbled quickly. The words were barely audible to himself.

"What?" She repeated for the second time that night, either not having heard his statement or just simply not comprehending the stupidity of it. Austin rolled his eyes as if she were the one who was being unreasonable.

"I told my parents we were dating, okay?"

Her dark brown eyes widened for a split second before narrowing again as they haltingly gleamed in a less than enthusiastic fashion. "Well that wasn't very smart of you." She deadpanned.

He made no reply as his head was still bowed down in shame. Taking another glance at the hopeless blond, Ally sighed.

"So why'd you do it?" She asked, her features softening in the process. Austin shifted uncomfortably at the sound of her voice. He raised his head high enough so that they were able to lock eyes. Seeing her calmed down and less angry his stiffness seemed to have visibly subsided by quite an amount.

"It's a funny story actually." He began, but he was soon silenced by the glare which returned back on his best friend's face that begged to differ. "Okay, not so funny, but it started awhile ago and my mom was trying to set me up a bunch of her friends' daughters," he paused to make sure she was processing this information, she merely nodded in response. "And anyways at first I didn't think too much of it since it would only be like a friendly meet up like we'd say hello, then go home."

Ally made an impatient huff noise as if she were already bored with his explanation. Austin halted her with a raise of his hand as he continued.

"But then it started getting really awkward 'cause my mom was always setting me up and always asking which girl I liked and it was just cutting into my personal time." Ally's eyes widened as she recognized where the story was going. "So one day I just lied and told her I had a girlfriend," He paused again to look at her, "And when she asked for a name I kind of panicked and went with the first name that came to mind."

Ally nodded, "And that name was-"

"Your name." He finished for her.

There was a stony silence in the music store.

Realization hit as Ally's eyes widened yet again, "Wait a minute, wait a minute," she hastily brushed a strand of her hair away. "A while ago? A while? You're mother thinks we have been dating for _a while_ now?"

Austin smiled a guilty smile. Not guilty as in 'I'd love it if you could forgive me' but guilty as in 'I really hope you don't beat me to death within the next couple of seconds.'

He hesitated a considerable amount of time before continuing, "Yeah…and she also spread the news to my dad."

If Ally's jaw were to drop any lower she was sure it would have hit the counter by this point.

But Austin seemed to have missed the message and continued talking as if nothing was wrong.

"I forgot to mention, we're going on a family vacation on a cruise this spring break since my Aunt just got married and they requested I bring you so they could get to know you better."

He stepped back in fear, wearing a cringe on his face as if he could already see the explosion about to come.

As if on cue Ally's face distorted furiously.

"Austin!" she screeched helplessly, more anger in her words than anyone he had ever heard before.

He immediately stepped up to defend himself.

"I know what I did was wrong, I didn't know things were going to get so serious, honest." His eyes were sincere. "Please Ally, just play my girlfriend for this trip, you can dump me on the last day, dump me right in front of my parents." He was pleading now.

"Austin-"

"Dump me hard! Knock me right off my feet! And then mom will see I'm not over you and leave me alone!" an excited smile graced his lips as he tore his gaze from her fantasying about his newly acquired freedom, "It's brilliant!"

Ally cocked her head to the side as she considered the consequences. Austin turned to face her again. "Please Ally,"

She pursed her lips. "I don't know Austin."

His eyes gleamed hopelessly, begging silently for her to take on the favor he needed her to perform.

She mentally debated for what seemed like an hour before heaving a massive sigh, already knowing what her choice would be.

"What's in it for me?" She asked trying hard to keep her voice sounding both bored and uninterested.

Austin's pupils dilated brimming with new found hope as she was actually considering doing the deed.

"The great gift of our unbreakable friendship?" He tried unconvincingly, already trying to hide his excited grin.

Ally rolled her eyes as a groan escaped her lips at the torture her next words were about to bring her.

"I'll do it."

As soon as those words were out Austin's face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. She hadn't even had time to regret her decision, as within the time span of five seconds he had tackled her in a giant hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." His ecstatic tone buzzed in her ear. She awkwardly patted his back, her thoughts already consumed with the severity of what she just agreed to.

Oh the sacrifices she made for friendship.

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><p>"Are you almost done packing?" Austin asked as he sauntered into the practice room, eying the huge bag of luggage opened up on the floor.<p>

Ally only made a grunt of acknowledgement, not even bothering to look up at him.

"So listen, I already told Dez and Trish that we were going away this Spring break, but I left out the whole 'dating' thing." He used air quotes for the words dating.

Ally gave him an annoyed in response, still not completely forgiving him for the torture that was about to come.

"Great." She bit out bitterly at last. Her words very clearly indicated she was not up for a chat, but he continued the one-sided conversation anyways.

"Think comfortable but warm," he advised referring to the clothes selection.

"Thank you so much for your kind advice." The sarcasm was evident as she continued cramming her suitcase with books she probably wouldn't read.

"So your dads really letting you go?" He asked completely ignoring her previous tone.

"Yeah," She huffed as she attempted to close her overloading suitcase with fail. "At first he kept insisting that I needed to watch the store but," she was no sitting on the suitcase trying to squeeze down all the contents present. "Legally I'm entitled to vacation days and I realized," she paused again and Austin momentarily wondered if she was going to pass out from exhaustion. "The last time I took my vacation was," she bopped down on her suitcase once again, "Never!"

She successfully finished pushing down her baggage and was now trying to zip up the bulging thing.

"Well that's good to hear," Austin replied as he got down on his knees to help her zip up from the other zipper. "Why don't you just use two suitcases? It clearly won't fit. Sometimes I don't get girls." The blond noted, still trying to make the zipper budge. Ally puffed in anger.

"I am _not_ going to get two suitcases and it _will_ fit." She retorted, her face red from the blood vessels about to pop on her forehead.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity and pulling and cursing, the two teenagers sat with their backs to the giant bag of luggage successfully zipped up all the way to the spine. The two were still huffing and puffing from the workout they just had.

Austin was the first to break the not-so quiet silence they shared. "So," He patted the sturdy suitcase behind them, "You ready to be Austin Moon's girlfriend?"

Ally's eyes glassy from exercise traveled back to the internet sensation and a smug look rested on her well defined features.

"I thought you'd _never_ ask."


	3. Hugs and Heartthrobs

**A/N: Hello, welcome back! We are officially in the third chapter of this fic.**

**Ally finally gets introduced as Austin's girlfriend! :D**

***cough* Even though they're just pretending and aren't really in a ****relationship.**** *cough***

**But those are minor details.**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally or any of the characters.<strong>

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><p>"Mom, Dad," Austin introduced, "This is Ally."<p>

He gestured gracefully to the brunette who at this point was fidgeting nervously, trying her best to make a good first impression on the Moons. She offered a gracious smile and half a wave in spite of all her nerves.

Austin's mother, she noted, had curly blonde hair that dropped past her shoulders and nicely framed her face. Her hazel eyes were just a shade lighter than Austin's and they glimmered with the same friendly spark she's seen so many times in the woman's son. She seemed to be a very excitable lady as she was already positively beaming in happiness at the small semi-formal introduction.

His father on the other hand had dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes, eyes which were currently surveying Ally from head to toe, heightening her senses to a maximum and adding to her already building uneasiness. His face brimmed with somewhat of a skeptical look. He wasn't necessarily scowling or giving even a slight illusion that he didn't approve of his sons girlfriend, but then again he wasn't smiling either.

And that wasn't exactly a good sign.

She absentmindedly checked for any loose strands of hair or any blemishes on her face as she stood. Ally never felt more self conscious than she did right now.

"So this is the Ally we've heard so much about!" Mimi Moon retorted suavely putting her hands to her hips with a knowing smirk, one that left the fake couple positively flustered and grinning cheekily.

"Austin's girlfriend." Mike Moon finished for his wife, still inspecting the shy song writer.

Both Austin and Ally nodded vigorously to keep the lie intact.

"Slash song writing partner, slash best friend." Austin added as he stepped up beside Ally.

Austin mentally debated whether or not he should hold her hand to make them seem more convincing as a couple, but ultimately he decided against it for fear of what Ally might do to him later when they were in private.

"That sounds wonderful," Mrs. Moon swooned. "I've already passed on the word that Austin's girlfriend would be accompanying us on this cruise," Austin's mother linked her arm with her husband's as continued speaking, "your Aunt has been dying to meet Ally here ever since I told all your relatives you had a girlfriend!"

Ally sent Austin a smile that could easily pass for a sappy, tender, loving smile meant for her supposed boyfriend for any bystander that may have been watching, but Austin knew better. For beneath that lovesick grin displayed a very solid promise that she was personally gonna pummel him later for allowing the news of their 'relationship' to spread so quickly.

He returned her smile with an aloof shrug and a nervous laugh.

This exchange however did not go unnoticed by all the two adults present. Austin's dad raised a bemused eyebrow while his mom simply shuffled her feet before scrambling the kids aboard the luxurious cruise.

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><p>"So what's the plan?" Ally whispered to Austin as his parents took care of the boarding business and room arrangements. Her nervous hands gripped the handle of her suitcase with a little more force that necessary and through her iron grip she could feel her hand sweating under the pressure she's been acting under.<p>

Austin was staring into the chandelier hung up brightly in the center of the ships' lobby, illuminating the entire place. He wracked his brain for a response.

"Hold my hand." He instructed suddenly. Ally's eyes clouded in mild confusion. Austin rolled his eyes at her expression. "My parent's, they're looking this way." He made a slight motion with his head in the direction of his parents. "We should at least make it look believable." He explained.

"Fine," Ally grumbled as she extended her less sweaty hand to interlock fingers with the blond. She tried her best to keep up her perplexed glare, but she realized she couldn't hold it for more than two seconds.

That chandelier must have been burning really bright because she felt really hot at the moment.

"Oh Edna!" Ally heard Austin's mom cry from behind her. She whipped her head around to see his mom hugging a lady whom she assumed was Austin's aunt. The two women were rocking back and forth in excitement.

Behind her, a middle aged man with tan skin and a receding hair line stepped up to shake Mr. Moon's hand. "My names Joseph, Edna's husband." He flashed Austin's dad a blinding smile, showing every single one of his white flawless teeth. He briefly eyed the two women behind him who were now chatting like there was no tomorrow. Mr. Moon smiled back, returning the grip on the handshake.

"So pleased to finally meet you, welcome to the family."

Austin and Ally silently watched the scene unfold until a familiar voice broke them both from silence.

"Is this Austin?" The tall, tan woman walked over to the two to take a closer look, "My, you've grown so much!" She pulled back to debate whether to pinch his cheek or to ruffle his hair. She settled on doing both. "You're practically a little teen heartthrob aren't you?"

Austin smiled apprehensively looking a bit flustered and appropriately awkward.

Her gaze then settled to Ally as if she was just noticing her for the first time. The song writer shifted nervously, wondering if this way a good time to let go of Austin's hand.

"And who is this?" She faked an enthusiastic gasp, "This must be Ally! The girlfriend we've been told about," She hand motioned for her new husband to come over, "Aren't you just the prettiest thing?" Before Ally had time to reply the older woman had already pulled her into a bone crushing embrace.

Her hand separated with Austin's at last so she could awkwardly return the hug she was so abruptly pulled into.

Her husband Joseph emerged once again to offer another handshake to Austin this time. "Pleasure to meet 'cha boy," His eyes twinkled with friendliness. Austin immediately took it with a polite smile.

"Pleasure to meet you too, sir," Joseph pointed to Ally with his thumb. She was still looking dishevelled from the sudden hug.

"She seems like a nice girl, would make a good wife someday." He noted. He then proceeded to wink and click his teeth at the mortified boy.

It was possibly the most disturbing things Austin had to hear or witness, _ever_.

Thankfully, the moment was cut short by the sound of a loudly spoken discussion between the two Moons. Austin's parents were still standing by the counter as a helpless looking receptionist was trying to offer her service.

"What seems to be the problem?" Joseph called over to the two. He leaned his hand against the lobby couch as his eyebrows raised in concern.

Mrs. Moon returned her attention to her family with a smile, "We're just trying to figure out the room arrangements." She grabbed the brochure she had been keeping under her arm and surveyed it again, "Each room has a bathroom and either two single beds or a queen sized bed."

Edna disregardingly waved a hand in the air, "Oh that's easy, I'll share a room with Ally here," She put her arms around Ally's petite frame, she then pointed a stubby finger in the two boys' direction, "And Joseph there can share a room with Austin," She faced the arguing couple again, "you two get yourselves a nice queen size." She prowled.

Austin's mother grimaced sympathetically, "No, no. You two just got married." She shook her head in disagreement. "This is like your honeymoon!" She slipped the pamphlet back under her arm. Austin's dad cut in roughly,

"If anything, I'm the one who should be sharing a room with Austin."

Austin fidgeted nervously, his eyes wide with impending doom. He piped up a finger.

"Hey! How about Aunt Edna and Uncle Joseph share a room, mom you can share a room with dad and Ally and I can share a room." He enthusiastically suggested.

Ally ducked her head down, already picturing the outcome of Austin's recommendation. Surely her father would not be happy to hear she'll be sleeping in the same room with a boy.

Mike Moon was the first to scoff at the idea, "Please, you think we're just gonna leave you two teenagers unsupervised like we don't know what's on your minds?"

Ally ducked her head even lower at the accusation. She could already feel her cheeks heating up.

Austin refused to give in though, his hand dropped the handle of the suitcase he'd been holding, "It's not like we're gonna do anything," He furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance, "besides, we only ever go back to our rooms to sleep, what could we possibly do?"

A lot of things, Ally's mind automatically retorted. _A lot of things._

His father held up a halting hand, "No Austin, you will be sharing a room with me and that is final." Austin pouted grudgingly.

Mrs. Moon, taking one look at her son's disappointed face her exterior immediately softened. She stepped up beside her husband.

"Come on Mike, I think Austin is responsible enough to make the right decisions for himself." She reasoned as she patted the man's shoulder supportively letting him know that she understood where he was coming from. She then looked over to Austin, beaming with pride. Reassuring the young boy that she trusted him.

Mike's ferocious eyes were set upon her now. He slowly exhaled the breath he had been holding in annoyance. "He is a teenage boy." He stated firmly. He brushed his wife's arm off and tapped his foot impatiently very clearly indicating he wanted the subject to be dropped and that the sooner the discussion was over, the better.

He ignored Mimi's condescending stare.

"You can check up on us like every hour!" Austin's voice rang again.

Mike Moon's gaze travelled to the two kids, they narrowed before returning to his wife then to his sister in law and new brother in law. He still seemed unconvinced. Just as Austin was about to open his mouth to plead again his eagle eyes finally washed away as he grinded out an aggravated response. "I _will_ be checking up on you."

Both Austin and Ally nodded obediently, not daring to push this man any further.

Silence filled the room, dark and uncomfortable. Not even the receptionist dared to say a single word and disrupt the stillness.

Joseph was the first to break the awkward tension in the air. He tapped his fingers against the side of his suitcase as he spoke. "So...how about we go back to our rooms and get a little rest before we all meet up at the all you can buffet on the second floor at seven to enjoy some fine dinner?"

Everyone mumbled a response in agreement and scrambled to their respective room arrangements.

Mrs. Moon handed Ally the key card for their room with a twinkling smile, Mr. Moon tailed close behind her. "Don't let Austin get his hands on it, he'll just lose it." She winked. Austin frowned childishly from afar.

"So much for responsibility," Her husband grumbled beside her, evidently still not happy with the results. This action earned him a sharp jab to the ribcage from his loving wife.

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><p>As soon as the door to their room was opened, Ally's jaw dropped at the luxury.<p>

Glass windows lined a huge perimeter of the room as the incredulous view of the ocean stunned the brunette speechless. The black and white color theme complimented the blue of the sea perfectly. The entire room just screamed high class to the excited lyricist. Just stepping inside the place, she already felt like a princess.

There were even comfy looking lounge chairs and a table, not to mention a mini fridge.

Two beds were present, one close to the window and the other lined against a wall.

Austin whooped as he immediately dived into the bed with the ocean view. "Dibs!" He called as he planted his face in the soft white sheets of the bed. He laughed childishly as if he had just dived into a pit of marshmallows.

Ally crossed her arms shaking her head at his immaturity. "Who gave _you_ the right to call dibs?" She asked with a slight smile tugging at her lips. She approached the bed taking authoritative steps.

"I did," He beamed up at her before planting his face down in the pillows this time. He stretched lazily, having the time of his life.

Ally gave a nonchalant shrug.

"_Okay_," She took a step closer to the bed, resting her knee against the board. "You know, I just thought that boyfriends were supposed to act kind and considerate to their loving girlfriends." She exclaimed in mock casualness, dropping as many hints as she could muster.

Austin's dark eyes snapped open right away and without passing another second, he wordlessly got up with a glare and gestured for her to take the bed in his place.

With a squeal, Ally launched herself into the bed very similarly to the way Austin had done previous. She laughed as the bed sheets ticked her sides.

Austin bit back a smile at the excitable brunette. A fuzzy sensation filled up inside his system as he crossed his arms in false anger.

"You're so hopeless."

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><p>And the rest of their time in that bedroom was spent plotting their breakup.<p> 


	4. Mismatched Stories and Muses

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally.**

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><p>Ally had never been good at staying calm under pressure.<p>

Everyone knew that. Her dad knew that, Trish knew, so did Dez and Austin and she's pretty sure Dallas has noticed by now. Heck everybody walking down the streets could tell this girl was a mess just by once glance at her nervous stature and darting eyes.

Maybe it was the way her voice would raise suspiciously high when she spoke. Or the fact that her gesturization would increase by tenfold out of nowhere all of a sudden. Maybe it had something to do with the way beads of sweat would automatically form on her forehead as she would profusely try to wipe them away.

It might also be related to her tendency to chew on her hair whenever she was nervous. Yeah, that one was a pretty dead giveaway.

Even at the simple thought of performing an act which involved her to lie on spot or act natural, the poor girl would quite literally come undone.

This might explain why Ally was currently hyperventilating as she walked alongside Austin down the long halls of the cruise. The hallway was lined with different paintings, all of which she'd never seen before.

"Oh god, they're gonna ask us questions." She exclaimed shaking her head with grief. Her brown hair flopping wildly. "They're gonna ask us questions. They're really gonna ask us questions."

The blond boy beside her playfully put an arm around her shoulders in comfort. He seemed far too cheerful for her to believe he was going to even attempt being sympathetic. His airy intonation made her conclude her assumption had been correct.

"Would you relax? Of course they're gonna ask us questions!" His tone implied she was supposed to feel better after hearing his words. Normally she would have set her hazel eyes in the best glare she could manage and shoot it in his direction. But she was far too mortified and nervous at the current moment to do anything but let out a low whimper.

She expected Austin to retract his arm and continue his attempts at trying to make the situation sound a lot better than it was. Instead his grip on her hardened.

Ally sneaked a peek up at him to make sure he was doing alright; she had been searching for his gaze in his mess of blond hair before their eyes interlocked. As soon as brown met brown, Austin's eyes glimmered and he took it upon himself to flash her a brilliant smile both radiating and comforting at the same time.

At precisely that moment, all thoughts of uncertainty and anxiousness washed away.

Even if just for a second.

Ally shook herself out of the momentary trance before hesitatingly returning the smile with a smaller and lot less visible smile. Austin caught it anyways and gave her shoulder a slight squeeze.

It could be her imagination but she was sure the pace they were walking at had slowed down considerably from when they first exited their room.

"You seem awfully calm for someone who is minutes away from telling the biggest lie _ever,_ to his parents and new family." She teased out of habit.

He made a dismissive noise before opening his mouth with a retort ready on his tongue. "Technically, I told the lie a long time ago," he shrugged. "Now I'm just adding more _lies_ to my _lie_ in order to ensure my first _lie_ is buried deep."

"In other words you're just digging yourself a deeper hole?" Ally asked with a knowing grin. Austin's eyes flickered as he scrutinized to come up with an argument.

"No I'm-"

"Feeding flames to the fire?" The brunette supplied, cutting off the singer.

Austin grumbled feebly in retaliation. "You and your metaphors,"

Ally rolled her eyes. "Don't you mean analogies?" Laughter was evident in her tone while he simply glared at her.

They approached the elevator soon enough. Austin impatiently pressed on the elevator button multiple times. Way too many times to be necessary. Ally maturely ignored him until he began pressing on it with an escalating force.

The number of similarities shared between him and a child were simply too many to count.

She gently grabbed his sleeve and tossed his hand back by his pocket. She then proceeded to shake her head at him with disapproval, even going as far as tutting the boy. He merely smiled in response.

They waited in silence for about a minute or so, the two of them shifted awkwardly with each second.

Just as Austin was about to press the button again the elevator doors opened with a chorus of mechanical grunts. Both Austin and Ally stepped in the empty elevator without so much as a second thought.

Once inside the elevator, Ally leaned her head against the cool, glass mirror present in the fancy elevator. Wide eyed and tight lipped Austin raised his hand to press the button for their floor level before Ally stopped him by catching his hand halfway.

He dejectedly dropped his hand before crossing his arms grumpily. Ally simply smirked and pressed the correct floor number professionally. She leaned her head back against the mirror with a sigh.

"Would you relax?" he stated, as his hand gripped the metal bar behind him. She looked up with a perplexed glare. She didn't bother to ask him how he knew she was nervous. It was probably written all over her face.

"How are you so calm?" She asked once again.

Austin laughed humorously. Ally however, didn't find the situation quite as funny as he did as she maintained her unamused frown and half raised eyebrow. He finally stopped laughing, yet his eyes still gleamed merrily.

"It's you and I." He answered easily. He brushed some scattered bangs out of her face as his grin transfixed into a thin line, "how can I not?" he said in a softer voice. The feeling of his touch burned into her skin, her legs felt wobbly and she found herself all of a sudden mesmerized.

Ally allowed herself some time to appreciate the warmth his dark brown eyes supplied before taking a deep cleansing breath.

"Okay," she replied, finally finding some courage in her tiny figure. The 'ding' of the elevator signalled that they have arrived at their desired floor. Ally shook the nerves away once again as Austin looked to her with approval. His hand was still lingering close to her. The doors of the elevator slowly began to open.

"_Let's go give them a good show."_

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><p>"So how'd you two meet?" Edna asked curiously with her hands pressed together and supporting her head while her elbows rested on the dining table.<p>

Everyone's attention was turned to duo of lovers as they confidently looked to each other with ready expressions, both already knowing they wouldn't have to lie for such an obvious question.

They had just sat down in the high class, all you can eat, 4 star service guaranteed buffet and already after selecting their own preferred foods from the self serving buffet the questions were zooming in.

The dim light theme of the restaurant also did not make things better. In fact the lighting seemed scarily similar to an interrogation at a police department.

"Did you guys meet at School?" Joseph cut in as he took a sip of his wine. The two teenagers both shook their heads no. The adults nodded their heads, waiting patiently for them to elaborate.

Ally answered on behalf of both of them, "Well I work part time at my dad's music store," _more like full time_, she thought to herself bitterly. "And Austin being Austin here, _had_ to be obnoxiously playing the drums one day," She sent him a genuine smile as she spoke. "Even though, there was very clearly a no playing the drums sign."

_Truth._

Austin ducked his head sheepishly as all members of the table laughed. Even his father offered a small chuckle. Although that chuckle was probably meant for his son's stupidity rather than the cute story that had just been told.

"And he asked you out then?" Mimi Moon inquired, looking very similar to eager teenage fan girls. Ally smiled before shaking her head.

"Nope, we were friends for a while." She twirled a fork in her spaghetti. "And then he asked me out." She explained, thankful for the fact she hadn't need to tell any serious lies yet. She thoughtfully looked into the distance as if the event of him asking her out really did take place.

"Friends so quickly!" Edna exclaimed. "You two must be destined for each other!" Ally could feel herself flush.

"Well we're both into music so…" she tried to reason, yet a blush still crept up her cheeks. Mr Moon's ears seemed to perk up at the mention of music and his eyes immediately travelled to his son was wearing a similar blush to the brunette.

"How _did_ he ask you out then?" Austin's mother asked again.

Ally's mind blanked and before she could start stuttering Austin picked up for her.

"I took her to her favourite restaurant and asked her out there." He answered suavely. He thought for a second before adding details, "Then we took a nice long walk down into the park paths to watch the sunset." He leaned back smiling.

_False._

"How romantic!" Edna exclaimed loudly, falling for the completely fabricated lie. Austin beamed proudly as everyone seemed satisfied with his explanation. Even Ally looked dazed and awed as she smiled at him with adoring eyes.

Austin internally shook his head. She was such a hopeless romantic.

"So your anniversary is…?" His dad piped up, saying his first words of the evening.

"February 23rd."

"January 4th."

Both of them answered without realizing the other was planning on speaking. They shared worried glances with each other as confused stares and raised eyebrows were beginning to arise at the dinner table.

"I like to think of the first time that I realized I liked you as our anniversary." Austin lied quickly, feigning a sappy smile and secretly hoping Ally would play along.

"Aw, Austin!" Ally gushed with pretend enthusiasm, even going as far to reach over and squeeze his hand in affection. He squeezed back, his eyes never leaving hers.

That seemed to dissolve the suspicion as Austin's family members each went back to enjoying the food with sly smiles playing on their faces. They each stole one more glance at the couple before shoving their faces with the different foods on their plates.

"Aren't they cute?" Mimi muttered not so subtly to her husband. Mike simply grunted in response, seemingly more enthralled by cutting his steak than speaking to his own wife.

Edna and Joseph on the other hand, we're looking at each other with 'remember when we were like that?' eyes and identical grins. It would have been awkward for Ally if she hadn't realized how comfortable her current position was.

They were buying the fact that they were a couple so there really was no reason for her to let go of his hand right? She should just keep it there just in case they get suspicious right? That was what boyfriends and girlfriends did with each other right?

She suddenly felt very queasy. And with a heavy heart and wavering mind, she let go of Austin's hand and excused herself from the dinner table with the excuse of getting a platter of fruit. She could almost feel Austin's confused gaze at her retreating back while she was walking away.

Austin's aunt had the good sense to go after her. She had hoped to get her in private as to acquire more gossip on the young couple. She too, excused herself from the table with a similar poor excuse.

* * *

><p>Edna grabbed a clean plate off the side and with her darting eyes she found Ally by the fruits and dessert section in no time. The young girl seemed to be debating on what flavor of jello to get. She quickly shuffled up beside her, looking over the choices as to appear casual.<p>

"So…you're both into music huh?" She asked, dumping some kiwi on her plate.

Ally's eyes widened in shock for a moment, very clearly taken off guard. She regained normalcy when she turned and saw Edna standing beside her with a wistful smile. Ally then proceeded to hide her blush as she nodded.

"Yeah, I like to write songs." She admitted shyly. She quickly covered up what she said by releasing a huge glob of strawberry jello on her own plate.

"Oh?" The older woman's eyes flashed with interest. "And so, Austin is kinda like your muse?" She asked slyly, trying to appear a lot less curious that she was feeling.

"M-muse?" Ally asked with uncertainty. It wasn't that she was unfamiliar with the term. It was just strange for her to consider something like that into her music.

"You know, inspiration for music," Edna waved the huge spoon around, trying to give her a sense of what she was talking about. "Like, motivation or just something that makes you happy." she elaborated.

Ally stuttered nervously, "I had a goose." She stated. As soon as the words left her mouth she realized how stupid she must have sounded.

Her theory turned out correct as Edna looked positively taken aback.

The song writer fidgeted with the spatula she was serving herself with before she conveniently made eye contact with a certain blond sitting from afar.

Austin flashed her a bright smile. He tapped her seat impatiently, silently telling her to hurry up and return to dinner.

Ally returned his smile, her insides doing an Irish jolt in happiness. She rested her plate on the counter before opening her mouth to speak again. "But since Pickles is gone," She began, her eyes never leaving the singer. "I guess Austin counts as a muse as well," she admitted.

Edna beamed, her plate forgotten on the counter of fruits. She leaned in close to Ally.

"That's what I like to hear."

* * *

><p>They barely made it back to their room before Austin flopped down on Ally's bed in exhaustion. He stretched out his arms before dropping his head down on the pillows.<p>

"I'm beat," he exclaimed, closing his eyes and kicking his shoes off as a way of explanation.

Ally walked over to him with a tired smirk. "I thought we settled this was _my_ bed."

Austin grinned up at her. "We did!" he confirmed with a very familiar bright smile and sparkling eyes to match. Ally rolled her bed as she rephrased her previous question.

"_Why_, are you on my bed?"

"Because it's comfier!" he retorted. Ally scoffed.

"That's ridiculous. The two beds are identical," she countered, putting both hands to her hips.

"Then you sleep in that one," he said airily as he rolled around on the bed, turning his back to her.

She shifted her stance in defiance. "There's an ocean view with this bed," she argued.

"Psh, yeah, because the ocean is soo fascinating at night," Austin bit back, not even bothering to turn around to face her.

Ally narrowed her eyes in anger. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

"Okay," she said calmly. "That's fine with me." She exclaimed launching herself on the bed with Austin still drifting off to slumber. "Goodnight!" She bellowed loudly, tucking herself under the thick covers of the bedsheets and expecting him to finally get off.

"Goodnight Ally," The blond simply stated with his eyes still closed.

_Unbelievable_. The brunette thought to herself as she stared disbelievingly at the unmoving Austin. After staying in that position on the bed for a few minutes, neither of them willing to move, Ally finally had enough and shoved the sleeping boy right out of the bed.

He landed with a hard thud.

"Ow, hey!" He complained from the floor.

With a satisfied smiled, Ally closed her eyes. "Now it's a good night," she affirmed, ready to enjoy her good night's sleep.

But Austin wouldn't have it at that, as he pounced right back up to take his (not so) rightful position on that bed. Ally, in a moment of panic, sent a pillow flying towards his face. The action caused the brunette to fall back on her bed with laughter.

Austin grabbed another pillow in retaliation and war broke out.

The wrestling continued for a long time, both of them using the pillows and blankets as shield and armour as they battled. By this point their breathing had turned heavy from laughing so hard.

Just as Austin was about to emerge victorious, by finally pinning down the petite songwriter, a loud cough was heard from the doorway.

The two teens, whipped their heads around to find Mike Moon standing by the doorway with one hand on the knob and half a foot through the door.

He was wearing a very solemn but grim expression which clearly stated he did not like what he was seeing and was very clearly was not amused.

Almost immediately, Austin and Ally scrambled to their feet wearing identical guilty expressions.

"Having fun?" The older man inquired dryly.


	5. Awkwardness and Anxiousness

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally**

* * *

><p>"I can explain." Austin offered pathetically from beside her.<p>

Ally herself was still wracking her brain for a useable excuse. Her chocolate eyes darted around the luxurious room searching for any possible exits. To her dismay, the only thing close to resembling an opening was a window by the bed probably too small for her to fit through.

But if Austin's dad was going to keep up that condescending stare any longer, she may have to test that theory.

She shuffled nervously, her elbow slightly grazed across Austin's. Austin himself was still bravely staring down his father, a very impressive feat considering her own eyes were still looking for any sort of resource she could use to grease up the window (then maybe with the right amount of force she could squeeze herself through it).

All in all, she was just hoping a giant hole would suddenly open up right underneath her feet and swallow her up whole.

The older man finally sighed before stepping into the room solemnly. He then proceeded to shut the door behind him, an act which further intensified the two teenagers' fear.

"You," He began. His eyes shone severely to match his somber tone. "Do you even know how loud you are?" She guessed the pronoun 'you' was being used to refer to the both of them instead of the single use it was intended for. "I could hear you all the way from outside." He continued his grammatically incorrect speech.

Just as she was about to open her mouth and apologize for the misunderstanding Austin spoke first.

"We were just playing around." The blond muttered.

His father completely ignored his son's statement as he calmly walked over to the pair, shaking his head in the process. "Is this your idea of taking responsibility?" He didn't give Austin the time to answer his question. "You guys are bouncing around on the same bed, throwing pillows, not to mention you are also disturbing neighboring rooms,"

"Are you gonna make us switch rooms? 'Cause I'd rather share one with Uncle Jos-"

"No I'm not gonna make you switch rooms." Mike Moon cut off abruptly. Both Austin and Ally sighed in relief. "Just let this one be a warning to you." He paused to let the information sink in (or maybe for dramatic effect, whatever the case). "To _both_ of you." He finally corrected.

He turned his head away from the two and began to make his way to the door. He then paused as if seeming to debate whether or not to lengthen his already excruciating lecture before deciding against it.

Ally couldn't help but feel rather anxious at the older man's departure. She could still hear the sound of her own fearful heartbeat that had been thumping irregularly non-stop ever since the door first swung open.

Not to mention it was probably quite a scene to open up the door to.

The entire conversation had felt like nothing but extortion and she wanted nothing more but to collapse in the heap of pillows and bed sheets that she was sure were calling her name. She wanted to spread her arms out on the soft cotton material the blankets were made out of and make bed sheet angels.

She wanted to lie down and right away begin a dreamless sleep she'll never wanna wake up from. She wanted to bury her face in the soft pillow and inhale the smile of lilac and rose, she wanted…she wanted to go back to the pillow fight she and Austin were having, damn it.

Mr. Moon turned the knob slowly, swinging the door open. Just as he was about to step outside the room his head swiveled around.

"Ally," he addressed suddenly.

The brunette immediately stiffened at what may have been the first words Austin's father had directly spoken to her ever since their first meeting that morning. She did a quick take to Austin who was looking equally lost as she was.

"Yes sir?" She asked politely, trying with all her might to ensure her response was not stuttered. She imagined all the things he might say to her, things ranging from horrible to just plain cruel. It took all her will power to remain standing there, rooted to her spot and not curl up into a ball in the corner and chew on her hair like her instincts were so desperately telling her to do.

Would he tell her she was unfit to see his son? Would he accuse her of being the one to start the childish pillow fight? Would he give her a piece of his mind of what he thought of her and his Austin's relationship?

Instead, the older man merely heaved a sigh a bit too exaggerated to sound real. His eyes contained a mysterious spark while he spoke. "Keep him in check, will you?"

And with that, he exited the room.

Austin and Ally stood enveloped in silence for a while.

She was still pondering over what Austin's dad had meant when he told her to his son in check. Did he simply mean he did not want to see a repeat of the bed scene? Or was it something else? Her mind was about to wander into deeper territory before she was momentarily distracted.

Austin had let out a victorious whoop, shattering the moments' silence. "Awesome! Now he definitely buys our relationship!" The blond exclaimed with excitement etched deep into his features.

Ally gaped at him, her mouth falling open in disbelief. He was happy about this? All this while she had been coming to terms with her possible death, going as far as mentally creating a will for her family and friends in her mind if his father should kill the two of them and he was _happy_?

Oh she was so going to write him out of her will.

"I can't believe you." She blurted out, her eyes narrowing as she spoke. Austin's eyes traveled back to her. She glared on. "We were just caught in a very misconstruing situation," She took a break to cross her arms assertively in front of her chest. "A situation that could have very easily been misinterpreted a different way," a blush stretched across her cheeks, but her angry tone covered all embarrassment she might have felt at the moment. "And all you can think about is the fact that he may be convinced of our _fake_ relationship?"

An emphasis was placed on the word fake as Austin visibly twitched. He took another look at the angry girl as he opened his mouth to retort.

"I hate to break it to you Ally," He began apprehensively, "but he most likely did interpret that situation in that 'different' way you were talking about." His dark brown eyes gleamed apologetically, yet they did not seem to contain even the slightest amount of remorse.

"Oh god," Ally groaned as she rubbed her temples in worry. That was it. His father's words before he left the room were probably just a silent threat, telling her to watch her back with her actions containing the Austin. Beside her, the carefree boy was stretching nonchalantly. He let out a yawn in the process.

"Don't worry; I'm sure he won't tell mom and the others." He joked. He playfully plopped himself on her bed once more. This is just ridiculous. After all they've been through just for the stupid bed incident. An incident that literally just happened a few minutes ago and he was already back on her bed.

Ally buried her face in her hands.

"Not this again." She mumbled in defeat. "Haven't you learned your lesson yet?" Ally tore the blankets away from him as soon as she approached the bed.

Austin simply flashed Ally a blinding grin. "Just warming it up for you." He assured her, his hands raised in defeat.

She had to fight the grin building on her lips. "I'm going to go take a shower." She stated. "When I get back, I want you off my bed." She tried her best to give him an authoritive look. "You understand?"

Austin pouted in anguish. And she realized she had never felt more like a mother in her entire life than she did just now. The thought had barely crossed her mind when Austin's eyes lit up. An imaginary light bulb could almost be seen blinking beside the musician's head.

"I've got an idea!" He exclaimed. Ally furrowed her eyebrows. "I just thought of something that will benefit both this bed arrangement and our relationship!"

"Our _fake_ relationship," she corrected out of habit.

He completely ignored her statement as he continued with whatever nonsense he was spewing. "We'll make this into a game!" he declared triumphantly. Ally cocked her head to the side, a skeptical brow raised in question.

"We're going to make this into a game?" She repeated coyly, clearly not catching on to Austin's excitement.

"Yeah!" he sat upright as he leaned his back against the back of the bed. "Okay, each day we'll continue playing our part in this relationship," she was about to add the word fake to his sentence before he held up a hand to stop her. "And whoever plays the more convincing part that day will get to sleep in the bed that night!"

Ally huffed indignantly. "I thought we went over the fact that this bed was mine."

Austin let his head hit the board of the bed behind him as he let out a slow overdramatic exhale. "Alright, if you wanna be a stick in the mud." He said not so discretely.

Her eyes narrowed. "I am not."

She knew he was just pestering her. Pushing her buttons, just trying to get her to agree to play that silly game he planned out. But for some reason she was letting him. She shook her head. "I am not." She repeated.

Austin chuckled. "Sure, sure,"

"You don't believe me." She accused. He didn't even try to argue.

"Well..." Austin trailed off.

Finally she let out a groan, knowing she lost the game of wills they had been mentally playing in their heads. "Fine, fine, do what you like." Her hands went up in the air in exasperation as she spoke. She came to a sharp halt. "Let me tell you something though, even if we are playing this silly game of yours, I'm still gonna be the one sleeping in that bed every night." Her eyes flashed menacingly. "Because I am a damn good actress!"

Laughter erupted from the blond. "Sure, sure," he repeated again wiping a few tears from his eyes. The only thing different was that this time she could tell he meant it by the way a happy smile danced across his lips.

She let a tiny smile escape her own lips at the sight. She then pointed in the direction of the bathroom with her index finger. "I'm going for my shower." Her lips pursed together in thought, "I think we can agree that I get the sea view bed tonight." She continued when Austin nodded. "So once again, you will be off when I return from my shower."

"I can do that." He assured her. Even though looking at him she could tell he made no indication of moving any time soon. Ally sighed and picked up a few articles of clothing from her suitcase before heading to the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and placed her pajamas on the sink counter.

"Hey, Ally?" the blond singer called from back inside the room. Ally poked her head out the bathroom.

"What is it?" she asked.

A tired yet honest smile landed on his handsome features.

"I'm really glad you're the one pretending to be my girlfriend." he admitted truthfully. A flutter of butterfly wings erupted from her ribcage as her face right away softened at his words. If she had been scowling, she's pretty sure a look of pure bliss must have replaced it within the time span of ten seconds. She blinked letting the words sink in.

They shared a moment of peace before finally she broke her transfixed glaze and smirked at him.

"Save it for tomorrow when we're competing for the bed." She retorted, shutting the bathroom door once again. She wished she had a chance to see his face before she closed the door. Without her control an elated noise made its way out of her throat as she had no choice but to press her forehead against the cool wood of the door to calm herself down.

That boy was going to be the death of her.

She had just started to pick up a shampoo bottle to read the label in an attempt soothe out her feelings before his voice rang again.

"I mean it!" he called aloud once more.

And the fluttering returned almost immediately.


	6. Fruits and Fire Escapes

**A/N: I can't wait for Austin and Ally tonight! We're in for some good fluff!  
>Anyway, day two on the cruise with Austin and Ally!<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally.<strong>

* * *

><p>"Austin,"<p>

"Austin, _hey_,"

Ally gently prodded the unconscious figure. She shook his arm again when he showed no sign of movement. For her sake, she hoped waking him up wasn't going to be part of her daily routine. She inwardly groaned. Who was she kidding, he was Austin Moon. The only days he's able to get up all on his own are days when his career is involved.

She attempted to pull off the covers that acted like a fortress to the blond singer. This plan was dispatched however, once she realized that half the covers were crushed underneath said singer's weight.

Ally leaned back in defeat, crossing her arms crisply and glaring at Austin. If only they were back at Sonic Boom. She would have clashed two Cymbals together and sent him tumbling to the floor in an instant. A smirk appeared on her face at the thought.

She could still clearly replay in her head that moment when Austin fell off the counter and onto the hard floor of the store. Of course, he retaliated by using that stupid magic shock finger.

Alas, they were not at Sonic Boom, they were far from their beloved music store and he was just as impossible as he was anywhere else. She had no choice but to continue her poor attempts at waking him.

"Austin," She hissed again, shaking him more violently this time. "_Austin_!"

It was almost as if he had lost ability to recognize his name. The sleeping boy did not even shift in his peaceful slumber. A content smile was present upon his well defined features as if nothing was wrong in the world. Ally rolled her eyes, in his mind there probably _was_ nothing wrong with the world.

At last, after her constant shaking and calling his name he let out an opposed grumble and a change in position, but still did not wake. "Au_s_tin!" She tried yet again, stretching the _S_ in his name. The annoyance in her tone was very hard to miss.

Austin's sleepy eyes finally opened wide enough to see the morning light seeping in from the glass panes. His gaze settled on his pretend girlfriend as a smile immediately illuminated his face.

"Hey Ally, what's up?" he asked carelessly, just as clueless as ever. Ally returned his smile with one that screamed '_you're so hopeless_.' She shook her head again for good measure before leaving his bedside. Austin stretched his arms, unleashing a yawn as Ally grabbed the clothes she set on the counter and made her way to the bathroom.

"You should start setting an alarm." She called before shutting the door.

* * *

><p>OoOoOoO<p>

* * *

><p>"Alright, Mom is probably expecting to see us at the self-serving buffet on the top deck." Austin explained as they made their way out of the elevator.<p>

"Which was is that?" Ally asked, her eyes dodging back and forth between the different hallways. She never did have a really good sense of direction and getting lost on the cruise was definitely not on her schedule. Austin made a discarding motion in the air.

"We'll probably get there if we go through that door and take the stairs by the fire escape." His tone was completely casual as the words tumbled out of his mouth. Ally on the other hand, sharply turned on her heel to face him and give him her best 'what are thinking' look.

"Um Austin," She began disapprovingly. The octaves in her voice were already changing from shy, introverted Ally to no nonsense, total seriousness Ally. "The only reason they call it a fire escape, is because you're only supposed to use it in case of fires." She stated in a lecturing tone.

He rolled his eyes as if she were the one who was being difficult.

"Do you know how big this ship is?" He countered. "It'll take us forever to get to lobby and find the stairs that lead to the deck" –He put a hand to his stomach- "Not to mention _I'm_ starving." Ally opened her mouth to retort when he halted her again, a grimacing expression rested on his features. "Besides, we really shouldn't be late after the whole scene we made last night in the bed room."

The calm, upbringing expression she had been trying to keep for the past twenty minutes faded away to oblivion in a single second. Her feet were firmly planted to the ground in an instant. Austin winced at her as if he had been expecting this. He surveyed his friend as she tried to keep her breathing steady.

"Fire escape. Go. Now."

He didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

><p>oOoOoOo<p>

* * *

><p>"Dear, where do you think Austin and Ally are?" Edna asked, turning her head to Joseph. Joseph shrugged, choosing not to comment as he picked at his fruits with a fork. A tomato rolled off his plate, leaving a trail of salad dressing in its path.<p>

He was thankful for the fact that they weren't in some fancy restaurant at the moment and the tables were all made of white plastic and all looking identical on the ship's top deck.

Mike and Mimi Moon soon took their seats on the same table as they placed their plates down in front of them. "If you're wondering about Austin and Ally, I'm sure they're just running a little late." Mimi brushed off. "Austin is pretty hard to wake after all." She chuckled heartily before checking her watch as a second thought. "I do hope they hurry though, the buffet gets taken away at eleven."

"Did you tell them we were eating up here?" Mike Moon asked, starting at his food. His wife nodded thoughtfully.

"I'm pretty sure I told Austin the schedule ahead of time."

"Should I go get them maybe?" Joseph offered, brushing a strand of his dark hair behind his ear. He made a movement to get up.

"Oh, no," Mrs. Moon cut in. "It they want to eat they'll come." She assured the group. Joseph relaxed in his seat once again. "They're teenagers, I'm sure they could survive a few hours without food."

"Think again." Mike Moon's rough voice begged to differ. His gaze was directed at the fire escape ladder where none other than Austin had just landed successfully on the deck. The group watched on as he extended a hand to pull a frightened looking Ally up to her feet.

The two proceeded to carry on a long conversation by the fire escape. It seemed fairly obvious that Ally was reprimanding Austin for their behaviour just now. Her hands were on her waist and her eyes flashing dangerously while Austin's hands were up in the air in defense.

Edna suppressed a giggle at the two kids while Joseph looked like he was appreciating art at its finest.

Mr. and Mrs. Moon however, both face-palmed rather dramatically.

Austin's eyes traveled around the deck, they lit up when they landed on his family. He quickly motioned to Ally with the back of his hand. "I found them," he said, brushing himself off from the long climb. "Come on, let's go say hi and get some food."

Ally was about to verbally attack him on the fact that he probably didn't care about his family at all this current moment and was just desperate to get some food down his throat when his hand found hers and his fingers securely interlocked with her fingers.

Right away she stiffened. She could feel her heart thumping erratically in her chest, beating so loudly she was actually worried he might be able to hear it. For the first few seconds in her trauma she focused all her energy at staring the floorboards.

They were painted with an odd pattern, a pattern somewhat similar to jagged wood and she found herself finding them very interesting all of a sudden.

A few more seconds passed before she gathered all her courage and she slowly looked up at him, half to see if he knew what he was doing and half to insure that he couldn't in fact hear her heartbeat.

His response had been a smile and a secretive wink.

Flashbacks of the bet they made last night returned. The bet. The bed with the view. The grin on his face as she caved and agreed to his conditions.

Ally's mind clicked in place and she returned the grip on his hand. If he thought she was letting up her position on the bed, he's got another thing coming. She flashed him a cheesy smile (the kind often seen in chic flicks) and practically prounced over to the table.

The adults all looked up with interested eyes.

"Aren't you two just the cutest couple?" Edna commented, putting on hand over the other on the table. The air shifted considerably.

"Yeah, climbing up fire escapes and holding hands," Mimi Moon added nonchalantly, taking a sip of her sparking juice. Her eyes gave away the fact that she knew more than she was letting on.

Ally's smile immediately faded. "You guys saw that?" She began to pale. Her hand gripped Austin's even firmer in her panic. "I swear, we weren't disrespecting authority!" Her eyes were the size of soccer balls. "That was once in a lifetime!" She defended.

Austin on the other hand, chuckled immaturely. "That was pretty awesome." He exclaimed, while Mr. Moon rolled his eyes.

They stood there holding hands like idiots for almost an entire minute.

"Well that are you two waiting for?" Mr. Moon finally screeched. "Go get yourselves a plate and go fill it up." the teenagers scampered their way to the buffet table as Mrs. Moon called out once more from behind them, "They take the food away at eleven!"

Not two minutes later, Austin and Ally returned to the table with full plates and laughing faces as they aimlessly bickered about some trivial matter.

They had barely begun eating when Austin uncharacteristically lifted his fork with a pineapple and leaned over to Ally.

"Pineapple?" he offered innocently. Ally looked from Austin to the pineapple on his fork. Her eyes wide with a hint of a blush creeping to her cheeks. She could feel the attention of all members present at the table.

_For the sake of the sea view bed. For the sake of the sea view bed. For the sake of the sea view bed._ She mentally chanted.

She forced her best smile. Her eyes glistened with fake certainty. "Sure." Beside her, Austin grinned approvingly as if he did not think he would actually carry through with it.

She leaned in close enough for him to plop the fruit into her mouth and she chewed thoughtfully, ignoring the gaze and smirks from his family. She finally willed herself to swallow the last of the pineapple in her mouth, and not to think of the fact that she just ate off Austin's fork.

"Want another one?" His voice rang. She could tell he must have had a lot of trouble suppressing the laughter in his voice as he asked.

"That's okay." She quickly declined.

They continued breakfast as a big happy old family. The sea breeze made the greasy food at the buffet taste surprisingly edible. And the sun shone brightly over their heads. Ally had fun laughing along to Austin's mother's crazy stories and debating politics with his uncle. She had grown accustomed to ignoring the knowing grin plastered on Edna's face and learned to not take Mr. Moon's silence personally.

Once in awhile, Austin would let out a quiet snicker, no doubt recalling the earlier event with the fruit. And he would try to pass it off as a cough.

That was usually when she would kick him under the table. _Hard_.

Her chance for revenge was offered to her when he was absentmindedly munching on a coffee sponge cake. Apparently Austin had missed his mouth whilst feeding himself the creamy dessert, because there was a huge blotch of chocolate by his lips.

She inwardly smirked as she grabbed a napkin from beside her plate.

"Hey Austin?" She tilted him sideways to face her. She made sure her hands lingered extra long on his shoulders.

"Hmm?" he responded, still chewing a glob of cake. She pulled him even closer to her before she began dabbing gently on his face with the napkin.

"You've got a little something."

The reaction was immediate. His face flushed up like a tomato as he breathing sped up to twice its normal rate. His eyes began darting around nervously as if he was trying to keep calm.

"Hold still." She commanded in a teasing tone, purposely going as slowly as possible.

He squirmed uncomfortably, blushing even harder.

Although her thoughts were consumed with victory, Ally couldn't help but wonder what Austin's problem was. If he didn't get embarrassed over his parents seeing him feed her off his fork, why would he be embarrassed over her cleaning his face? Sheesh, boy logic.

She finally finished cleaning his face as she released him from her grip. "You're so hopeless." She noted cheerily as she dropped the dirty napkin on her finished plate. Her mind was dancing with triumph as visions of herself jumping in the bed with the sea view and Austin admitting defeat flooded into her mind. She beamed with happiness.

Meanwhile Austin hadn't moved from when Ally released him. He stared at his unfinished cake as if lost in thought. At last he looked up to the brunette girl who was still beaming happily.

"I'm going to get some ice cream." He informed the entire table as he got out of his seat. It was obvious however, the statement had been directed at Ally.

Ally, being Ally, wasn't able to comprehend the change in his tone as she waved him off. "Okay, take your time. It's still twenty minutes till eleven."

Austin made an impatient noise, shifting his weight to his other foot.

"I said I was going to get ice cream." He repeated, his patience wearing thin.

Once again, Ally missed the signal. "You said that already." She stated naively. "The table's over there." She pointed across their table to where the buffet was set up. There really wasn't much food left on the plates, she really didn't see the point of getting half melted vanilla ice cream blended into peppermint sorbet.

The frustrated blond seemed to wrack his head for a good excuse before simply extending an arm and pulling her to her feet. _"Oh would you just come with me!"_

Austin pulled her to the buffet table and after a moment of darting around, changed their spot to by the fire escape, the very same place they made their stealthy entrance.

He positioned her body so that she was facing towards the rail of the boat. She sighed and done as he insisted.

He seemed to be doing a lot of mental debate with himself. His foot tapped nervously on the painted jagged wood and she patiently waited for him to say something. The next action though, she never would have expected.

Without uttering a word he quickly leaned in and kissed her cheek. Her breathing hitched sharply and it felt as if her heart stopped beating altogether. He pulled back a few seconds later.

Ally stood frozen in shock at the sudden movement.

Did he really just? she blinked dumbfounded by how quickly a situation can change. One minute she was sure she had the upper hand and next…Her eyes slowly met his and by the way his pupils dilated in elation, she could tell he had returned to his festive state.

The victorious grin settling upon his face proved her assumptions correct. She took a deep cleansing breath.

"Austin," she began calmly, barely keeping her voice in check. She turned so that she was facing the fire escape, rather than the railing. He was still smiling brightly in response.

They both knew extremely well that a kiss on the cheek was not counted as a real kiss. A real kiss was one on the lips, one with passion, one with love. Even Ally, a girl who's never even had her first kiss wouldn't call that a kiss.

But from the angle his family were sitting. Yeah, it might've looked like a kiss.

She exhaled the air in her lungs, feeling as if she might suffocate at any minute as Austin leaned down to her height.

"I think we both know who is getting the bed tonight." He triumphantly whispered in her ear.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Austin played dirty! Oh well Ally will get back at him next chapter.**

**I wish you all a happy Sunday. And don't forget to watch Austin and Ally!**

**Until next time!**


	7. Realizations and Revelations

**A/N: I'm sorry for the late update!**

**Thankfully old _Friends_ reruns and the song 'Nothing' by The Script playing on an endless loop was able to help me get off my uninspired butt long enough to type something out.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally. I don't own 'Not a love song' either.**

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><p>Have you ever felt really dizzy?<p>

Not tipsy dizzy like you're laughing your behind off, going around doing things you'll regret later because you're so drunk.

Not lovesick dizzy either, not the kind you get when Prince Charming confesses to you in the _sweetest_ most romantic way possible. The ones that usually cause you to experience trouble in the most basic of human activities, activities such as walking in a straight line. You know, because you're just _so_ ecstatic.

But tipsy as in your whole mind is in a weird haze. Like you can't remember what the last emotion you felt was and you're not exactly sure what you should feel now.

Well, that's exactly what Ally was going through at the moment.

Through the sound of her own heart beating erratically through her eardrums, she sent Austin the best glare she could possibly muster (which was considerably difficult as she was still flushing with shock and embarrassment).

"Seriously?" She hisses. She does a quick take over his shoulder to his family and sure enough, they were all watching. Most of them with very amused expressions.

She turns her attention back to him, noticeably steaming. The smirk playing so cheekily on Austin's face alone was enough to push her over the edge.

"You were playing a very dangerous game, Ms. Dawson," He answers, shrugging casually. He pauses slightly, his smile never fading. "And I complied."

And that was when she snapped.

Without any need for explanation, or any conscious thought either, against her wobbly knees and shaky hands, Ally Dawson latched herself onto him in a tight, limb breaking embrace. She's got nothing left to lose she figures.

She feels his sharp intake of breath at the sudden action. And momentarily she forgets all about the situation she's in, her thoughts are consumed with victory and pride.

She's not thinking of what his family is wondering or how confused Austin probably is, she's just not thinking at all. Just being a bit impulsive if you will.

And that was fine, because it was okay to be impulsive sometimes, she reasons.

The action only seems to faze Austin slightly, since the next minute his arms were securely around her, returning her hug. He pulled her even closer to him.

That was when things started getting hazy again. She was suddenly very aware of the fact that her heartbeat was once again audible to herself, sounding both heavy and abnormal.

Maybe it would have helped if she didn't feel his breath on her neck, or if she wasn't able to inhale his scent, and she would probably be a lot better off if he wasn't so damn warm.

Because for some odd reason, she didn't want to let go.

And even though she had been the one to make the move and he had reciprocated accordingly, it didn't stop her from needing to mentally will herself to breathe as the air entered her lungs.

All the while she is inhaling and exhaling, her desire to chew on her hair returns and Ally curses the timing because it could not be more inconvenient.

For a moment Austin stiffens in the embrace and she thinks he felt it too. That he was just as new to the sensation as she was, that he could feel the world somehow come to a halt around them, feel the air shift, feel all the pieces just click into place at the contact.

But then he pulls away, and she is too quickly consumed by the cold air. An expression foreign on his face. A look she's never seen before, one she couldn't quite place.

Then the next second the friendly smile is back on his face. Although this time it seems a bit distanced and almost distracted.

"I've gotta give you props."

And she knows at that instant what was happening. She had, without realizing it, passed the fine line that kept their friendship stable. She was landing onto forbidden territory. Somewhere she can't be. And through his words, she feels a small part of herself crumble.

She returns his smile graciously, her eyes sparkling with suppressed sadness.

"Thank you."

/

The next few hours, Austin's mom takes them both shopping on the cruise. She and Austin hold hands, just like they always do when his family is present and Mimi Moon makes the usual remarks of how cute they are and how Austin better treat Ally right, because she wanted grand kids. As always, they blushed while Austin nervously defended himself, stuttering gracefully as he does so.

When the shopping spree was over Austin's mother had her hands full with shopping bags, most containing clothing. Austin himself bought a light blue guitar with the cruise logo in the small music shop they came across. And Ally picked out a swimsuit, one which Mrs. Moon convinced her to try on after great amount of pestering. She decided to get the swimsuit after seeing Austin's initial jaw drop (which he unsuccessfully tried to cover up after).

Mrs. Moon later bid goodbye to the two after asking if they wanted to join Edna and Joseph in a game of ping pong. They had declined politely as they didn't see the need in watching middle aged folks sweat over a netted table. And so they departed with the older woman after promising to be on time to dinner at the ship's entertainment lounge.

* * *

><p>OoOoOoO<p>

* * *

><p>"So…we still haven't decided as to who gets the bed." Austin reminds her the <em>very<em> minute they step foot into their shared room. He puts his new guitar by the bed as she tosses the swimsuit to her suitcase. She's too lazy to actually unzip the suitcase, so she just leaves it on a pile of clothing. He walks up behind her, his hands in his pockets. "'Cause, you know, I'm pretty sure I'm leading."

It was times like this when Ally really wished she and Austin didn't have to share a room.

The only reply the brunette had energy to produce was something similar to a muffled groan. She sits herself in one of the lounge chairs as she stares despondently at the boy in front of her. Austin senses she's angry and immediately raises both his hands in defense.

Putting his hands back down, he gathers enough courage to voice his poorly received thoughts again. "Hey, I think I deserve it after that kiss." he immaturely pipes. "And all you've delivered was that bone crushing hug."

Another groan was released from her.

Ally grabs a cushion from the vacant lounge chair and tosses it at him. He catches the cushion very easily with one hand, not even flinching as he throws the cushion off to the bed. She eyes the cushion as it scrapes across the bed and ultimately lands itself on the floor.

She barely has time to curse his reflex and athletic abilities before he speaks again.

"Alright, how's about this? we forget the bed for now and what do you say we go exploring the ship?" Austin asks, clapping his hands together. His dark eyes are shining gleefully and she forces herself to look away.

She doesn't trust herself going on adventures with him. They would probably either end up somehow falling off the ship and getting shipwrecked on some island, get wound up in something illegal and have to deal with the boat's security guards, or it would involve some kind of activity in which intimacy was required. And she was going to stay as far away from that as possible.

So really, she's left herself with very limited choices.

"I don't think so," Ally states with a slight shake of her head. "We'll be meeting up with your mom, dad, aunt and uncle later, we should rest up." She gets up from the lounge chair, walks right past Austin and sprawls herself out on the bed with the ocean view.

She casually picks up the fallen cushion and throws it to the other bed. She silently congratulates herself on the fact that she just lessened the maid's work. Her eyes scan back across the room before they rest on Austin again. She catches his look.

"Technically the bed is still mine from last night." She defends as she props herself up on her elbows. He takes a step towards her, crossing his arms.

"Okay, well you rest up." He says in a mocking voice before he narrows his eyes, his voice changing as he does so, "Because by tonight _I_ will be the one sleeping in that bed."

Ally makes a disdainful face at him. "The days not over yet, how do you know I won't make my comeback at dinner?" She argues. She's pretty sure she won't make her comeback and the fact that she'll probably lose a lot more than her preferred bed if the bet continues, but for some reason she doesn't drop the facade.

Austin clicks his tongue disbelievingly. If she had been within reach, he most likely would have ruffled her hair too. "Yeah right," he affectionately mutters, before turning his heel and walking off to the direction of the mini fridge. He stops and kneels in front of the fridge and turns his head back to her, "How are you gonna do that by the way? Actually kiss me?" he teases.

He pulls the fridge open, all the while still laughing to himself.

Ally sits up, cursing his very existence. Her mind now consumed with thoughts they shouldn't be consumed with. Quietly fuming to herself, she grabs her songbook from underneath the mattress and opens the book to an unspecific page.

She reaches for a pen on the bedside counter before returning her attention to the beloved book.

"Want a drink?" he asks, his hand resting on the handle. Ally barely looks up from where she's sitting. Her songbook is now sprawled on her lap. The pen is skillfully balanced between her two fingers as she thinks of what to write.

A sigh escapes her lips as he looks through the mini fridge. She breaks the little goal she created just seconds ago of trying not to talk to him.

"Do you know how overpriced those snacks in the fridge are?" Her condescending tone sets in, her pen tapping lightly against her chin as she speaks.

Austin gently shrugs, grabbing a soda anyway. He closes the fridge door before walking over to her.

"Watcha writing about?" he asks, ignoring her previous question. He takes a seat next to her on the bed. His eyes are curiously gliding along her neat, careful handwriting (she did go to calligraphy camp after all).

"Is it a sad song again?"

She doesn't answer. Instead she props up her knees and tilts the book away from him so he can no longer see the contents. Austin scoffs, shaking his head a little, but he's smiling.

"That personal?" His voice is critical, but understanding to some level. And After sneaking a peek at her song writing book slash journal himself, he doesn't blame her for being so protective. Also, in his defense it's not every day you have a boy named after a city in Texas, let alone two.

It was really quite misleading.

"That personal." She answers back confidently.

He stifles a laugh and her eyes automatically narrow at him.

"What's so funny?"

He simply shakes his head at her. He places his soda on the counter while she raises an eyebrow at him, her gaze darting from her book to the boy sitting in front of her.

"How you never run out of pages in that book I'll never know." He teases. His shoulder gently grazes against hers as he slightly leans back.

Ally snaps her head down to focus on her song book immediately. A blush was in serious danger of creeping across her face.

"If I do run out of pages one day, you'll be the one to blame, since half the songs here are written for you." She says pointedly as she flips the page.

Austin laughs out loud this time. "And when that happens I'll be sure to make it up to you." He promises.

She sends him a quick but uncertain smile. They sit in silence for a while. The only noises heard were the scratching of her pen on the pages on her song book. She tries not to sneak too many glances at him while she writes.

"So…" Austin trails off, running his hands along the bed sheet. "You wanna talk about what's bugging you?"

The sound of writing stops right away. She looks up slowly at him, momentarily amazed by how easily he can tell something is wrong. But she then assures herself that it was probably written all over her face. She was never good at hiding her feelings. And she did make a scene with throwing a cushion at him. That doesn't mean she's willing on admitting something was bothering her, though.

Especially when what was bothering her was specifically linked to him.

Ally wills herself to look up at the expectant blond. His face is encouraging and ready to listen, albeit a little curious. She purses her lips in a tight frown before throwing her head back in exhaustion.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired." She assures. He looks unconvinced but he doesn't press on the issue. Instead he hops off her bed and grabs the guitar he bought earlier today. The guitar that had been previously resting by his own bed.

He turns towards her, a mysterious smile playing upon his face. Ally simply raises an eyebrow in response. She's long learned not to question the boy.

Austin clears his throat as his fingers strum a few cords, testing the sound. He then beams up at her as if he just came up with the perfect solution to cheer her up.

She brushes a strand of her hair away before finally, she snaps her book shut and puts it beside her. Ally shakes her head, as if he could not be anymore impossible. She nonchalantly taps her fingers against her book cover.

"Let me guess, you're gonna play me a song."

He chuckles a bit, taking his seat next to her on the bed once again.

"No, I'm gonna play you _our_ song." He corrects. A charming grin sweeping across as his face as he begins playing the instrument.

A thin smile cracks on her lips as the familiar melody reaches her ears. She gently nods along with the beat as he starts to sing, his voice low and soft. He skips a few lines, but that's okay with her.

"_Let's not talk about it, drama we can live without it_

_Got your way with the world, there's a clock we'll ignore,_

_Find a way around it."_

He smiles up at her, his eyes are tinkling with friendliness. His fingers strumming the cords automatically.

"_Hey girl, I can tell there's something_

_Even when you say it's nothing,_

_When you're playing with your hair like you just don't care_

_It's a tell, you're bluffing."_

She grins. (Not so voluntarily, but whatever.)

"Now please don't take this the wrong way," he speaks, cringing humorously while pausing for dramatic effect.

"_I love the things you do_

_It's how you the things you love,_

_But it's not a love song,_

_Not a love song."_

Austin nudges her shoulder gently, hinting for her to sing along. She obligates, but not before adding a slight roll of her eyes. Her voice blends perfectly into his and he seems to have noticed because his grin widens.

"_I love the way you get me, not,_

_Correct me if I'm wrong_

_This is not a love song,_

_Not a love song." _

They shake their heads for emphasis as they sing, laughing as he messes up on one of the cords. (It's funny because it doesn't happen very often.)

"_I love the things you do,_

_It's how you do the things you love,_

_The way you sing it,_

_With me through it_

_I guess always knew it."_

They sway their bodies to the music as they enter the last verse of the song. Her hands are quietly drumming themselves on her lap as they continue to sing.

"_I love the way you get me, not,_

_Correct me if I'm wrong._

_This is not a love song,_

_Not a love song." _

They finish the song with a final strum from his guitar.

They remain seated as they smile stupidly at each other. It almost seems as if they have just accomplished some amazing feat. Ally throws her head back in laughter as he sets his guitar down by the foot of her bed.

And she's laughing because she knows it'll be okay.

The song was not just a pop single intended to waver the suspicions people had with their romantic relationship (even though that was a huge part of it). The song was evidence that no matter what their status, they cared for each other. They didn't need to have a label, they were already them. The song acted as a verification of their proud partnership and they both knew it.

"Feeling better?" he asks hopefully.

She nods truthfully, biting her lip.

She feels silly for ever doubting their bond. And honestly, she shouldn't be sitting here moping about her life or how she's feeling when she's got the most amazing best friend anyone could have sitting right next to her.

She would have time to sort out her feelings later. And she was sure sooner or later she'd be able to come up with title suitable to call her blond friend.

She smiles at him again. Her hands find her songbook and she quickly opens it up to a fresh new page. From beside her he laughs.

"Still?" Austin shakes his head as he feigns dejection. His grin gives him away in the end. She doesn't even look up as her pen hits the paper once again.

"It's going to be a happy song this time."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oh, nothing like comforting your fake girlfriend with a platonic song about how you should just remain friends. **

**Once again, I'm sorry for not updating for so long. My schedule has been crazy lately, not to mention I'm fighting a **_**horrible**_** writer's block. I will try to update faster.**

**And I know this was more of a quiet chapter, but hopefully you guys don't mind.**

**Until next time!**


	8. Celebrities and Crushes

**A/N: Hi guys!  
>I know I promised I was going to update sooner, but I ended up making you guys wait even longer. Like <strong>_**way**_** longer…Yes, I realize I'm a horrible person, but keep in mind; I do have a lot of exams coming up and a part time job to balance. **

**Hopefully my schedule clears soon and I'll be back to updating on a regular basis again.**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally.<strong>

* * *

><p>"I have a question." Austin shifts uncomfortably immediately after the words leave his mouth. His eyes are directed at the ground, while his hands are shoved inside his jean pockets in anticipation and possible fear.<p>

Ally lifts her head to survey the blond. She knows that a nervous Austin was never a good thing, so she does a quick nod at him, letting him know that she was listening.

The corner of her eye does a quick take to the digital clock resting on the counter to check how much time they have until they are needed.

Her mind, right away concludes that they should get going right away. Austin's family had probably finished their games of Ping Pong a long while ago and they were probably headed for the entertainment unit on the ship right about now.

But one look back to Austin's indecipherable face, her curiosity devours her goody two shoe ways at once.

His eyes dilate as he looks distracted once again. Ally realizes she'll have to speak up for him to spit out whatever question he prepared for her earlier.

"What'd you wanna ask?"

Austin takes an interest to playing with his shirt all of a sudden. Her agitation builds very quickly, which is weird because she was usually a very calm, compassionate person.

His fingers fumble clumsily with a piece of string that had come undone on his sweater. Her mind automatically compares him to a cat unleashed to a giant ball of yarn.

"I was kind of wondering…you know…" He trails off helplessly.

She rolls her eyes impatiently. "Wondering what?" she urges. She props her head on her elbows and leans forward to survey him, staring him down.

The digital clock flashes again, its digits changing. They remind her once again of the minutes slowly ticking by and how if anyone could make Ally Dawson, the pioneer of rule making and conduct building, ignore the punctual part of her brain, which was so very clearly telling her to hold this conversation off till later, it would have to be Austin Moon.

Smooth talking, line crossing, song stealing, hug giving, Austin Moon.

She flicks a piece of flint off her floral skirt and looks back to him. He's still mulling over his words, finding a good way to verbally get his point across to her.

He looks up at her then and his eyes are wary.

"After we do the whole breakup thing in front of my parents, we can still acts like friends right?"

His voice deadpans in her ears as disappointment looms over her entire figure. A feeling of dread and tiredness become apparent to her all of a sudden as she blinks it back with mild surprise.

He continues speaking. A hand is gliding through his blond hair as his mouth form words.

"I mean, first of all I'm not even exactly sure how we're gonna act out the breakup in a way that my parents find believable, but maybe if we-"

And she just zones out from there. She had completely forgotten about the breakup thing.

She supposes it must have slipped her mind after all the hassle and competition that came with the bed. The bed…and the hand holding and the innocent pecks on the cheek and the eating off each other's forks and the blinding grins he gives her for no reason whatsoever.

Dear god, what was wrong with her?

She was only on the second day of this stupid cruise, pretending to be Austin's stupid girlfriend and this whole fiasco had already done internal damage to her head.

She manages to catch the last part of his rant. A worn out smile was still present on her face, one in strict contrast to Austin's nervous features.

His hand was still brushing through his weaves of blond hair as he attempts to conclude his argument "…And I know this sounds selfish, but I just really don't want anything to change."

Because nobody really likes change, she reminds herself. Change is bad.

"Nothing has to change." Her reassurance slips out effortlessly. She easily masks all her uncertainty in a small smile that forms slowly as she watches his features relax.

Austin's next words are familiar.

"Good, because I could never do what I do without you." He gives her a blinding grin. Against her will, her insides do a back flip. He's stopped fidgeting with his shirt now. He was back to the same old confident yet sometimes even cocky, Austin Moon. "You're awesome." He states for what must have been up tenth time in their partnership.

His eyes are boring into hers, shining with more sincerity in them than she had ever seen before. And even though she's heard those words before she still finds her spirits slightly elated. His smile could really do wonders.

She returns his smile graciously; her mind a little more at peace than it was just a second ago.

Ally pushes herself off the bed with her elbows as she figures it's time to _finally_ get going and at least one of the two of them had to make sure they got there on time.

"You're not too bad yourself, Mr. Monica Moon." She teases as she slips on her hotel slippers.

The groan he emits is so humorous it causes her to erupt in a violent fit of giggles.

* * *

><p>"Do you have any idea where the entertainment unit is?" he asks once they step out of the room. "You know, the one we're supposed to be at for dinner."<p>

Ally looks over her shoulder at the blond. Her eyes narrowing in the process.

"I thought your mom gave you a brochure." She states crossly. Austin shrugs carelessly, his head tilting to the side as if he had no idea what she was talking about or how things could possibly be his fault.

"Yeah well…she didn't tell me I had to keep it." His tone is absentminded as he shoves his hands in his jean pockets in defense.

She throws her head up in frustration as she realizes that they were once again at a loss for directions on the huge ship. The sadder thing was they had found themselves in the same predicament just this morning. (Although that really felt like forever ago)

"Way to go." She sarcastically congratulates him as she lightly slaps his shoulder. The action couldn't possible hurt more than a slight nudge, yet he pouts in childish anguish anyway.

They continue walking in silence down the long hall, their stroll coaxed with silence.

Her thoughts are consumed with possibilities of how the evening might go, what the breakup might bring and they run all the way to curiosity on who would be ensured of the golden position on the sea view bed this evening.

She must have looked more depressed than she was feeling, because Austin's cheery voice breaks her chain of thoughts.

"Don't worry, we'll find our way."

She can't help but slightly roll her eyes at his blind optimism. Even though she did find it quite endearing at times, it was definitely not what she wanted to hear at the moment.

"I hate to break it to you Austin, but I don't think the fire escapes here lead to the entertainment unit." Ally retorts. She holds a hand to wall and lets it glide along the paint as she walks.

Austin makes an insulted huff before he opens his mouth to defend himself.

"Hey! It was all thanks to me that we made it in time to eat."

"Yes, because the food here is _so_ much more important than our dignity."

Instead of snapping up with a springy retort like she thought he would have, Austin simply smirks at her comeback. He laughs breezily, as if he found the whole situation to be very entertaining.

He then takes her hand (the one not running along the wall) and weaves their fingers together.

"Touché."

* * *

><p>They managed to locate his parents fairly quickly. It turns out they were lost on the large ship as well. Or as Austin's Uncle Joseph had insisted, they were 'taking a stroll.'<p>

The entertainment deck was positioned on the second floor. It was actually fairly easy to find, considering how big in size the place was, how loud the music coming from the place was and how huge the mobs of people were.

As they weave through the massive crowds of people and finally succeed in finding proper seating, Ally feels Austin's grip return on her hand once again.

She sharply inhales her breath as she tries to hide the blush that is creeping her cheeks. She ultimately fails and ends up with a much disoriented smile on her face as she takes her seat next to him.

Mimi Moon, Austin's mother takes a seat next to her, while Austin's dad, Aunt and Uncle sit across from the three of them. The darkish lighting causes Ally to shift slightly in her seat.

"Why'd you pick such a loud place for dinner?" Mr. Moon spoke as he picked up one of the six menus sitting on the table. The first words uttered this evening.

To him, the place was nothing but a mere teenage hangout, rather than an actual restaurant with live entertainment.

His wife immediately beams at him, her eyes filled with excitement.

"This place is the best thing on the ship." She explains. "Most of the tourists specifically take this cruise because of this diner. They are known to hire the best magicians, musicians and sometimes even actors to entertain the people while they eat. Many new talents are also discovered by the end of the night."

Austin and Ally exchange excited glances while Joseph and Edna both pick up a menu. Edna skims over the first few pages, Joseph on the other hand, is staring intently at the first page, deciding to either get the chicken or the steak.

"I was going to take you guys here yesterday, but I figured everyone would be tired on the first day." Mrs. Moon continues.

"I wonder who will perform tonight," Ally gushes, as she too, picks up one of the few remaining menus. From beside her, Austin mimics her actions and hurriedly buries his nose in the dessert section.

Austin's mother taps a finger to her chin before squinting her eyes.

"You know, I've heard George Clooney was a surprise guest in one of the shows before." She recalls.

Ally's eyes instantaneously widen. Her jaw drops at this information.

"G-george Clooney?" She squeaks in a high pitch voice. "here?" She does a quick take around the place before her eyes land back to the older woman. "Really?" she asks, elation etched into her voice.

Mrs. Moon nods with a proud smile on her face.

"Are you a fan?" Laughter was evident in her tone as the question was asked.

Ally could only nod enthusiastically as Austin boredly flips through the rest of the menu.

"She thinks she's gonna marry him." He mutters sardonically with a slight tinge of jealousy distinct in his speech. Ally shushes him with a light slap to his shoulder.

"Not till I'm eighteen." She mumbles daftly, picking at the tablecloth with her index finger.

Austin scoffs, raising an eyebrow at his 'girlfriend'.

"Please, he's not even a triple threat!" he argues, "I bet that guy can't even hold a single note,"

Ally steps up to her hero's defense right away.

"He so is a triple threat!" She disputes. "He's an actor," –She raises her fingers as she begins to count off- "he's a screenwriter, and he's a producer!" She lists. "There, that's three!"

The adults watch in amusement to the scene unfolding in front of them as they wonder when it would be a good time to ask them what they wanted to order.

Austin crosses his arms childishly in retaliation before exclaiming, "Whatever, he's still got nothing on my singing, or my acting."

Ally sends him a mocking smile, nodding unconvincingly.

"Yes, because your acting was so Oscar worthy on Dez's short film."

"Well it won him a short film award."

"On directing."

"My acting helped."

"So did my props."

"He didn't use your props."

"…"

* * *

><p>When the waitress finally came and took all their orders, they had long moved the conversation from Ally's possible future husband, onto questions about the corporate company Austin's uncle was interested in buying and rising suspicion on who would perform this evening.<p>

Edna had been convinced that the surprise would be no other than Justin Bieber. She even offered to bet all her money she had on her, on her guess. Ally, on the other end, was convinced that her celebrity crush would somehow pull through and appear for a second time on the cruise.

During this time, Mimi Moon also took advantage to her seat next to Ally as she leaned over slightly to nudge the girl, gently her on the shoulder.

The brunette instinctively turned her attention to blonde woman. A wistful smirk was playing on the older lady's lips, as she swipes away a strand of blonde hair that had fallen in front of her line of sight.

"Say Ally...what do you see in Austin?" She asks abruptly, not even bothering to keep her voice to at least a whisper. From beside Ally, Austin coughs out the water he had been drinking in shock. He falls in to a violent fit of coughs.

The songwriter blinks twice on impact before she tilts her head in slight confusion.

"Huh?" She asks innocently, as if she could not comprehend the question given to her.

Joseph chuckled light heartedly as he grabbed a napkin from the napkin dispenser. He also grabbed one for Edna and Austin's dad.

Mrs. Moon rephrases the question, swirling her spoon in the air, "You know, what makes you wanna go out with Austin?" She asks again, "It can't be his looks." She jokes.

Austin is glaring daggers at his mother from his seat before both he and Ally resume awkward eye contact. They hurriedly look away, identical blushes tinting the hues of their skin.

"Ooh." Austin's dad comments with a raise of a caustic eyebrow.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, that was chapter eight.**

**Hmmm…I wonder what Ally's will answer will be.**

**Also, I know I kind of brought up George Clooney as Ally's celebrity crush, even though it was actually Laura Marano's celebrity crush, but I just thought the whole thing was really cute, especially when Ross mentioned she wanted to marry him.**

**And thank you guys so much for being such patient readers. As a reward for waiting over a month for this chapter, I present to you, the title of the next chapter.**

**_Jealousy and Jacket-giving_**

**Until next time!**


	9. Jealousy and Jacket Giving

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally.**

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><p>If anyone were to ask Ally Dawson what her best friend Austin Moon's best qualities were, there was no mistake the brunette would probably scoff with an incredulous smile present upon her pink lips and make a huge point of the fact that, feeding her blond friend's ego was certainly not a very bold choice.<p>

Charming and adorable Austin might be, but give him a few compliments in a row and his head will expand to twice the size of a parade balloon on Thanksgiving Day. Or at least, Ally theorizes.

She wasn't really all that keen on being sentimental or effusive anyway, because really, that was his job.

He was the emotionally invested one, with all the bright ideas and enthusiasm, while she was the hardworking realist, who always looked at facts before desires.

That was what made their relationship work.

But maybe once in awhile, if you caught her in one of her really good moods and asked her the question; she would lean over the counter thoughtfully, drumming her fingers against the polished surface, with her eyes glassy with recognition and maybe a tinge of pride, before pronouncing he had a star quality voice. That and some pretty awesome dance moves up his sleeve.

But that was as far as she was willing to go.

So as Austin and Ally sit in an overcrowded diner, with random shouts from nearby tables ever so often, engulfed with partial silence on her part and nervous chuckles on his, she found herself at a loss for words at the simple question.

Asking for Austin's best qualities was like asking to name the number of Taylor Swift songs since her debut. Far too many to count. Yet she couldn't find an answer that satisfied her. One that explained the attraction she held for her partner.

It also didn't help that by this point all eyes were firmly set on her. Even Austin, her supposed boyfriend had stopped with his panicked obscenities and efforts of diverting the issue and had turned silent, looking at her with curiosity etched deep into his features as he too, wondered what she would say.

Ally awkwardly picks up her fork, pretending to examine the shiny utensil as she fidgets nervously.

"So um, when do you think the foods coming?" She asks unconvincingly as she sets the fork down again, flashing an auspicious smile, hoping the subject would be dropped.

Edna clasps her hands together, brushing off Ally's question as she was clearly keener on making her nephew's girlfriend answer as soon as possible.

"Oh Ally," She glowers, "Is it because you two have history together?" She questions loudly, ignoring the blushing teenagers.

Just as Ally opens her mouth to either confirm or dismiss the idea, more guesses come spewing out of different mouths.

"Is he a good boyfriend?" Mimi Moon pipes with interest.

"Is he a good _kisser_?" Joseph cuts in, with the grip of his spoon pointed in Austin's direction, as if his question was by far the most important one.

Mortified looks flash across both Austin and Ally's faces as they both come to the mutual decision to just pretend they hadn't heard the older man's question.

Although the hues of their skin seemed to have darkened by quite a fair amount.

From across the table from the duo, Mike Moon; Austin's dad, lets out a tiny sadistic chuckle at the two's discomfort. It almost seems as if he was content with spending the rest of his evening watching his son and his son's girlfriend fumble over interrogatory question the adults at the table were supplying them with.

Expectant eyes fall upon Ally once more as she bits down harder on lower lip. Stuttered responses edge their way through her lips.

"I mean…I guess…" Possible answers flow gracefully in and out of her mind, "There's um…" her eyes are darting around nervously before she finally settles for a decent reply.

"He's always there for me." She finishes, truth seeping into her tone. Her fingers weave together nervously as she tries to find the right words. "I mean, even when I really don't want him there," She adds on jokingly, shifting the air in the room to a more comfortable one as her eyes land back to the blond.

Austin looks up at her then, temporarily relieved from embarrassment and sends her a small smile. She wonders if this was an appropriate moment to swoon.

They are completely unaware of the rest of the table now. It was words she's both been holding back. It's the gratitude for him, she hadn't known she's been holding (or really she's known, but just never really had an appropriate moment to showcase.) and it's a special moment.

It only takes him a brief moment to look over her, in all her sincerity and flash her a heart-melting grin. He drops the edge of the table cloth he'd been fumbling with.

"Only because she can't seem to stay out of trouble." He says finally, his cocky voice falling right back in place, as if his conceit never left to begin with.

Ally rolls her eyes, knowing that the moment was over. She picks up her water and tips the glass to take a small sip, a sassy retort already springing off her tongue.

"Coming from you?"

* * *

><p>The evening had been going really well. It really had been.<p>

Austin's mom had gone on and on about how cute Austin and Ally looked together as usual. The appetizers had been served, all of which tasted quite splendid. And despite how uncomfortable the 'being a couple' thing was for the two of musicians, they have been getting quite used to acting all sweet and cute with each other.

Their flirting still needed work though.

And it wasn't like the two of them could just 'turn on the charm' and start spewing romantic nonsense at each other. That just wasn't how it worked.

The cruise entertainer turned out to be an unnamed Magician who the host promised would be huge one day. The said magician had also made his entrance, oh so discreetly by popping out from a cloud of mist that most people wildly applaud to.

Halfway through watching the magician's tricks and mimicry, Austin had turned to Ally, while nudging her gently and promptly exclaimed that when they came back to eat at this diner on the last day of the cruise, they would be the ones who got to perform on the velvet stage.

Ally, being Ally, promptly rolled her eyes, knowing that it wouldn't happen in a billion years and falsely addressed him with a sarcastic smile and hurried assurances. _("Sure, sure, now eat your salad!")_

Edna and Joseph also seemed to be really invested in the magic acts, as they would 'ooh' or 'ah' collectively with the audience at appropriate times. Even Mike Moon, Austin's dad who was usually very reserved and unresponsive seemed to be having a decent time.

So once again, the evening had, in all honesty, been going really well.

That was until a dark haired waiter, with a remarkable resemblance to a certain boy with a name of _another_ state in Texas introduced himself as their waiter for the evening and took a little more interest in Ally than someone would have liked.

And things took a turn for the worse, with the next words.

"I'm Gary; I'll be taking over as your server this evening."

Immediately following his words, he shoots the table a suave grin. Or more specifically, he shoots Ally a suave grin.

Austin narrows his eyes right away as Gary collects their finished plates. He makes the connection quickly for someone as dense as himself.

"What happened to the waitress who took our orders?" he questions suspiciously.

Gary looks to him, while balancing the many plates on his tray as he beams apologetically (or not so apologetically, depending on how you look at it). "Her shift ended." He answers, although Austin doesn't entirely believe him. He takes another look to Ally, who was hurriedly trying to finish eating the salad on her plate so he could take it. "So I volunteered to take this table."

Something about his tone of voice irked Austin to no end. Maybe it was the way, it sounded so suggestive.

He further infuriates Austin by purposely gripping Ally's hand as well the plate when she hands it to him. Gary sends her a flirtatious smile when her eyes widen at the contact.

"Ahem." Austin coughs, not so discreetly.

Gary focuses his attention back to Austin. He puts the dirty plates in the bottom rack of his rolling cart, while he begins matching the cooked meals with each person. He serves Austin first.

"I'm sorry, are you her brother?" Gary asks, not so politely.

"Boyfriend." Ally answers timidly, she hastily grabs Austin's hand, not used to having the attention of another male. She shoots a weak smile in Austin's direction, hoping to loosen him up. He doesn't take his gaze off Gary though.

"Really…" Gary trails off, trying his best to sound inconspicuous as he places Joseph's steak in front of him. Austin thinks he could've heard the older man exclaim an over dramatic 'finally' from where he was sitting, but he wasn't really paying attention.

Gary sends another furtive glance at Ally, before quickly handing out the rest of the meals. Before he left however, he was sure to send a secretive wink in Ally direction. One which Ally blushed to and pretended not to notice while Austin easily caught.

He thinks he might've just felt several of his veins pop. And he quickly finds an excuse to leave and address the unnamed reason for his anger.

"Excuse me," Austin grinds out, "I'll be right back." He informs the table. He takes the napkin that had been neatly folded across his lap and places it on the table. No one bothers to object, despite the fact that the food had just arrived.

Ally sighs and drops the fork she had just picked up, knowing she had to follow him. She gives the table a small smile and a quick, 'be right back' before also removing the napkin from her lap and going off the find him.

The adults snap back up from the uneasy silence that had befallen the table. Worried glances are shared between the majority of them.

"Trouble brewing?" Edna remarks thoughtfully, as she takes a bite of her ribs. From all around her, people are yelling and clapping at the latest trick the magician had performed.

Mike Moon simply stirs his pink lemonade with a straw, looking wiser than any of them before he speaks.

"They'll get over it."

* * *

><p>"What's wrong with you?" Ally asks him as she steps out on to the deck outside. Her skin immediately makes contact with the cold night air. The fact that she was currently wearing a summer dress that only goes over her knees by a little didn't seem to be a bonus.<p>

She finds him leaning over a railing with his feet lifted from the ground.

He is momentarily distracted by her presence as he remembers how he had advised her earlier to dress warmly. But annoyance fills his veins quickly as he recalls the earlier events, making his stomach churn nastily.

The deck is abandoned at this time, seeing as the dark skies and rough seas were probably a turn off for most of the young couples looking for a romantic getaway, or anyone else for that matter.

He swivels his head to look at her, a frown in serious danger of forming from his lips. He runs a hand through his hair as he leans even further over the railing.

He's unable to pinpoint why exactly he was feeling so unsettled. All he knows is that it had something to do with Ally and something else to do with Gary. He's too stubborn to look much into it though.

Ally crosses her arms and begins to tap her foot impatiently, a habit she recently acquired to accompany her hair biting antics.

The movement only causes him to look away from her and back out to the sea.

She sighs when she realizes he isn't going to answer her. Looking up into the sky, it really gives off the sign that it might rain soon. Perhaps a storm was brewing. She looks away from the sky and back to him, wondering briefly if she should leave and give him some time alone.

In the end she decides against leaving him alone. Her heart was hammered on the very microscopic chance that he would do something drastic, like jump into the cold waters in a spur of angst or something (he has always been known to be the dramatic one).

So instead of retreating to the sanctuary of the loud diner, one which would protect them from the rain that might start falling any second, Ally throws her head back in defeat before trudging heavily to the metal bars and hoisting herself over the railings to join him.

He doesn't move away. He doesn't acknowledge her presence either, so she's not exactly sure if that's a good sign. She turns her head to look at him. His eyes are still trained on the waves below.

She turns back again, fumbling with her skirt and feeling slightly awkward. The metal bar of the railing is digging into her stomach and cold air is finally getting to her as she shivers involuntarily.

The salty sea breeze howls against her fragile figure. Ally clenches her teeth tightly as she shifts her position to a slightly more comfortable one.

She then abruptly clears her throat, causing him to twist his head slimly in her direction. He almost raises an eyebrow in response, but he stops himself.

"So…" She trails off conversationally. "You wanna talk about what's bugging you?" She asks, quoting his exact same words just this afternoon. Back when he was trying to cheer her up.

Her eyes are hopeful and he thinks he feels a slight tinge of the corner of his lips rising upwards to form a tiny smile, but once again he catches himself.

Finally he sighs internally and hangs his head low.

"Sorry." He mutters quietly at last. Ally takes note of how disheveled and tired he looks, she merely nods in response. He hasn't exactly told her what's gotten him so upset, but she supposes she shouldn't press the issue.

Austin lets go of the railing then. He props his feet back on the ground before he cracks his neck with a grunt. Ally cringes slightly at the sound effects, but untangles herself from the railing as well.

He takes a good look at her then. His eyebrows rise as if he just pieced together how cold it was and how thin the material of her skirt was.

"Aren't you cold?" He asks her bluntly. She rolls her eyes and drops both hands to her side as she gives him her most obvious 'duh' look.

She should really be getting mad at him, since it was in fact his fault that they were outside this moment, instead of being back in the ship where heating was supplied and gourmet food was waiting.

But as he slips off his dark navy jacket and holds it out to her expectantly, she could only gaze in awe.

When she doesn't move to take the jacket from his grip, he leans forward and loosely hangs the piece of clothing over her shoulders.

She's still looking up at him, her eyes filled with what might be taken as surprise as he simply shrugs at her. They stand there, looking at each other until he coughs impetuously at sharply turns his heel.

"Don't stay out too long, they'll get worried." He says quietly, walking past her.

His body adjusts to the outside temperature without his jacket fairly quickly and he's about to allow his thoughts to evade him once again, before he hears her voice.

"Austin?" Her tone is innocent and sweet, causing him to stop right in his tracks and spin his body around halfway so he could face her. He tilts his head in question, his eyes squinting in the process.

A wistful smile plays on her lips (one that excites him more than he would like to admit) and he finds his heart beating just a little bit faster than usual.

She's holding up one hand out sideways suspended in mid-air by her waist, almost as if she's about to chop the air. He bites his lip in confusion, before she continues.

"Gary," She says, shaking the hand for emphasis. She moves her other hand much higher than the first to about her neck region, "George Clooney," She states cheerily while wiggling the hand she deemed to be her celebrity crush, giving it a higher rank.

She then pulls out her other hand, the one that had previously been used for Gary and positions it a few centimeters higher than the one she held up for her hero. "You." She indicates, her eyes shining brightly.

A huge smile quickly devours most of Austin's face at the gesture.

So she put him over George Clooney.

He almost begins laughing at his friend's dorkiness, but he collects himself in time and instead simply let the grin take over.

Ally's face erupts in a radiating grin too. She fixes that jacket that hung around her shoulders so that it was more comfortable, watching Austin turn around and walk off.

She's just about to lean against the railing again, thankful for the rain that never fell, when Austin addresses her suddenly.

"What are you waiting for, let's go, my chicken breast is waiting!" He calls over his shoulder.

She laughs lightly at the fact that a simple action that reminded him of importance to her would have that kind of immediate effect on him. She's mulling over the fact that he seems to have retained that attitude of his in record time as the sound of his voice cuts her off again.

"And when we get back to our room tonight, we are going to have a long, complicated, _detailed_ discussion on who gets the bed tonight, got it?" he calls again.

She smiles.

Her Austin was back.


	10. Fun and Family Time

**A/N: Chapter ten! We've hit double digits! **

**I know I'm a horrible person for not updating so long. I'm just really busy during Summer. Take my apology!  
>(I feel like Natalie Tran from CommunityChannel. Anyone know where she disappeared off to?)<strong>

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do own Austin and Ally<strong>

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><p>Mimi Moon raises a glass to her lips as she curiously eyes the two teens who recently decided to join the table again. They took their seats a bit hurriedly and hastily began picking at their barely touched food; trying to rejoin the conversations as quickly as possible.<p>

It was almost as if they were trying to avoid questions directed at them, which in turn, only made Mimi even more curious. Their faces were a little flushed; she noted, as they readjusted to the temperature inside the crowded restaurant.

They hadn't missed much really; Edna and Joseph had been trying to convince her and her husband to come visit them in New York sometime after the cruise. She herself felt quite exhausted from packing and unpacking so much and had been trying to convince the newlywed couple that since they were already here, they may as well spend a few extra days in Miami at their place instead.

Ally quickly agreed with her, encouraging the two to take a tour of Miami. She went on and on about all the tourist attractions and interesting stores; even offering herself as a tour guide. Being easily excited was one of Ally's most notably qualities.

Austin, during this time, had smartly kept himself occupied by stuffing his face with chicken breast.

Mimi can tell immediately that the two have reconciled from their little episode a while ago. In fact it was rather obvious.

Austin and Ally were back once again to shooting friendly smiles every two seconds and holding private conversations through eye contact.

Not to mention Austin's navy blue jacket was currently hanging off of Ally's petite frame.

She finds herself enjoying her finely roasted steak a little more than a minute ago, happy that simple obstacles did not waver her son's romance.

And it wasn't that Austin hadn't had girlfriends before. As a mother she's seen Austin go on plenty of dates, with plenty of girls.

There was just something about having a long term relationship with a someone who he feels a connection with, someone who his feelings had blossomed for overtime that made her feel a spark of maturity in her son. That was part of the reason why the older woman was so keen on setting her son up with a girl.

Naturally, she was more than happy to have learned that her son already had a girlfriend, one who he self proclaimed was very important to him.

Ally was different. That was much was clear. The two had chemistry, they had something to talk about, they shared a common passion. Ally wasn't one of those one time girls who were only looking for a fling. And she didn't act like one either.

She was dedicated, down to earth and everything about her, down to the gleam in her eyes screamed innocence.

Taking another look at the two, she catches Austin dumping his vegetables onto Ally's plate. Ally doesn't so much as look up, as she continues her meal. The poor girl must be used to this kind of behaviour.

Mimi briefly wonders to herself how these two young teenagers have managed to build such a close knit relationship that can so easily be expressed with or without communication.

Sneaking a side glance to her husband, she thinks to herself how wonderful it was that they shared certain elements of the bond and trust that it took years of her and her husband's marriage to build.

They were an interesting duo indeed.

* * *

><p>"How about some family time?" Mimi suggests as they turn a corner in the hallway.<p>

They left the entertainment unit just when the show was at its full swing.

"No thanks, I'm bushed." Austin announces as he attempts to pull Ally to the direction of their room. Ally on the other hand, more familiar with terms such as manners and respect firmly tugs Austin's arm back.

"Sounds great." She complies with a dazzling smile, ignoring the groan Austin emits from beside her.

"We could play Ping Pong again." Edna says, looping her arm with Joseph as they begin making their way to the game room.

Joseph grins down at her, cocking his head to the side. "Well, I wouldn't mind beating everybody again." He jokes.

Mimi laughs while Mike scoffs in good humour.

"I'm sorry. I believe our game ended in a tie."

"Yeah, think again." He inquires.

The two older men continued to bicker as they arrive in the game room.

Taking a look around the room, they quickly realize the place was flooded. All four Ping Pong tables present were occupied. The place just seemed to be bursting with people. The Foosball table was occupied, so was the air hockey table and even the pool table which was usually deserted was occupied with at least six different people.

"Busy hour…" Mimi trails off, looking around for a vacant station. "Maybe we should pick a board game."

"There's Monopoly!" Ally exclaims happily, eyeing a box stacked upon many others in the distance. She turns to the group, her eyes enlarging at an alarming rate whilst pleading, "Can we play? Can we play? Can we please play?"

She was practically hopping up and down her spot in enthusiasm.

"Don't let her." Austin warned, turning his head to the group of adults. He lowers his voice an octave in hopes his brunette songwriter wouldn't take notice. "She gets seriously competitive."

Edna chuckles, as if Austin just told a really funny joke.

"Ally? The girl weighs like ninety pounds. She's harmless." She says waving a hand dismissively.

"No, I mean really." Austin says seriously. "This scar," he gestures to a spot on his forehead, "Is from scrabble."

He pauses a moment for dramatic effect.

"I'll be good this time!" Ally calls from the stack of board games. She had apparently made her way there a while ago. Her fingers were already reaching for the cardboard box marked with colourful letters.

"Come on, Austin!" Joseph shakes his head. "Look at her!" Ally momentarily lets go of the game to cup her hands together in a pleading motion.

Austin sighs and takes a few steps towards his pretend girlfriend so that they were face to face.

"Ally…" He begins cautiously. "Do you remember the last time you, me, Trish and Dez played Monopoly in the practice room?"

Ally looks down at her hands, momentarily ashamed.

"I threw the figurine at Dez when he won." She mutters.

Austin makes a circling motion with his hand, gesturing for her to continue.

"And?"

She rolls her eyes childishly.

"I tried to glue you and Trish to the board." She admits bashfully.

Austin nods in affirmation, looking back at his family with an _'I told you so'_ face.

Ally, however bounces back with full force.

"I'll be really good this time! I promise."

She shoves Austin aside, speaking directly to Austin's family, knowing that is was no use trying to convince the singer to allow her to play. From behind her, Austin shakes his head, eyes wide with impending doom.

His family however, doesn't seem to get the hint.

"Eh, let her play." Mike shrugs nonchalantly.

* * *

><p>Halfway through the game, Joseph was the only one who went broke. He didn't seem to mind though, as he sat on one of the previously unoccupied bar stool, watching the game of Monopoly with divided interest while sipping a martini.<p>

Ally had been surprisingly good so far, only pausing briefly to take deep breaths when she loses a turn or glare effectively at Austin when he snickers.

"Who owns Mediterranean Avenue?" Austin asks, sighing as he grabs his pile of cash from beside him.

Out of all the players playing Austin was no doubt the poorest. This was odd, as in real life he was one of the luckiest people to walk the earth (according to Ally at least). Finding large bills on the ground, overnight sensation due to viral video, and dashing good looks, if you ever were to ask him.

Ally beams in his direction, signalling it was her property. Yet again he might note. He was pretty sure most of the money he started out with had ended up in her hands.

"I should've known." He mutters; holding out a few pieces of wrinkled paper money to her.

Ally leans over and gratefully accepts the money, carefully counting the bills he hands her.

"It's a dollar short, but I'll let that slide." She says cheekily.

He fights the urge to roll his eyes.

"Gee, how considerate of you. What did I do to deserve such kindness?" Austin responds, boredly leaning his head on his palm as the bitterness escapes his tone.

Mimi shakes her head in amusement, causing her blonde fringes to fall over her eyes while she chuckles in disbelief.

_"_Oh, _you guys."_

* * *

><p>OoOoOoO<p>

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you want the bed tonight Austin?" Ally asks from her position in the comfy white sheets on the sea view bed.<p>

He whips his head in her direction, only to fight his drooping eyelids.

To say Austin was exhausted at this point, would be an understatement. Three hours spent staring very intently at a board and some metal figurines was not how he intended the night to go. Not to mention he was in last place for nearly two thirds of the game.

The game itself had ended with surprising results.

Edna came first (as she lucked out near the end of the game and the board naturally curved in her favour), Ally in second place (which no matter how hard she tries to hide, he knows she condemned at failure), Austin's dad in third, Austin himself in fourth and Mimi who had fallen behind near game point came last.

Ally had taken her defeat surprisingly well, seeing as she offered to shake the winner's hand. Which is something she's never done before and offer the phrase, 'good game' to all participants of their little family game night.

He had not missed the haughty gleam in her eyes when she faced him though. It was clear that she was seeking praise for her better than usual behaviour when it came to board games.

So he simply smiled and patted her head approvingly on a job well done.

Austin walks over to Ally, who was busy burying her face in a pillow and presses his knee against the board of the bed.

"You really sure you want the bed tonight?" Ally repeats, looking up at him and blinking affectionately.

"I'm sure." He answers with a stern but playful glare.

"But it's got Ally germs all over it!" She exclaims, spreading her arms and legs even wider apart. She smiles innocently at him from her position as she attempts to make sheet angels.

Austin smirks a little, "Nice try. Move."

She doesn't budge. Instead she moves a hand to cover her throat.

"No really, I think I'm coming down with a flu."

He doesn't cave. He holds her gaze with intensity and a bit of mischief.

"Yeah, it's called liaritis."

She contemplates throwing a pillow at his head for his lame joke, when an idea hits her. Her eyes light up in the process of her newly acquired solution.

"I know! I'll play you for it!" She suggests. She doesn't bother hiding the excitement etching its way in her voice or succeed in catching his building annoyance. "We can get the Monopoly board from the ping pong room!"

A tired smile crosses his lips, despite his best efforts. He shakes his head, fighting a grin.

"Not in a million years."

After what she's put him through tonight, he doesn't even feel a little bad for shooting down her option.

Ally pouts and moves to a sitting position, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed.

"So that's just it. You get the bed for day two." She admits begrudgingly, unwilling to face defeat.

He laughs with a nod of his head.

"And I'm gonna get the bed for the next three nights too."

She makes an insulted huff, but doesn't speak on account of the fact that she hasn't thought of a good enough comeback.

He doesn't tease her for it though. He simply stares at her for a moment with his eyes deep in thought, as if he was surveying her. She props her knees up to her chest, staring back at him.

He finally relents and lets a genuine smile form on his face.

"Well what do you think? We're almost halfway through pretending to be a couple."

A blush rises to her cheeks at the word 'couple', but she chooses to ignore it and she offers him a tiny smile.

"I mean, not to toot my own horn or anything, but I think we are pretty convincing." He adds suavely.

Austin smirks jokingly before settling next to her on the bed. She smiles back up at him; her eyes squinted in a slightly sarcastic tint.

Their conversation soon engulfs in silence. Both of them were trying to predict what the next few days will bring. There would no doubt be more awkward dinner conversations, more hand holding (the thought alone sent a rather unexpected chill down her spine) and probably another trip to the loud diner with the flirty waiter according to Mimi Moon.

There probably wouldn't be another family game night though. Not if Austin can help it. And he will definitely find a way to ensure he never be put through that kind of torture again.

Although he will admit, it was pretty fun watching Ally get worked up whenever she landed on his property. Or when she gets a good card and her whole face lights up in happiness.

He lets out a coarse cough as he clumsily crosses his legs to a more comfortable position. He turns his head to meet her gaze, apprehensiveness suddenly getting the better of him.

"It's not that bad pretending to be my girlfriend right?" He asks abruptly. His tone is joking, yet she is sure she hears a bit of uneasiness peak itself into his voice.

She surveys him for a brief moment, his eyes squinted and biting down on his lip in nervousness.

Was it weird that she was finding his sudden insecurity cute?

Ally fights the smile spreading across her face and shakes her head. Relief floods his features immediately.

"No." She answers honestly. "I really like your family." She admits. He raises an eyebrow at that.

"Even my dad?" He asks incredulously. He knew how detached and cynical his father could be. Not to mention, he wouldn't say he's made the best of impressions on this trip. Ally however, just shrugs.

"He's just not a very expressive man."

"He's not a very nice man either." He mutters, uncrossing his legs. She's just about to defend the older man when he continues. "And what about my mom, when she makes all those high chirpy noises whenever we hold hands."

He visibly shudders.

Ally tilts her head.

"I think it's sweet."

"It's creepy." He deadpans. The last thing he needed was his best friend and his mother being all being flimsy and girly girly with each other.

"Almost as creepy as you getting jealous over some waiter named Gary?" She asks chastely, her fingers trailing circles on the clean bedspread.

Austin crosses his arms defensively, his mouth dropping open. He was surprised she would go as low as to bring up the creep from dinner.

He just didn't like the way that guy was looking at her. That was all.

There he was trying to have a nice family dinner with his fake girlfriend and this nosy waiter comes poke his messy hair in his evening, with these lame attempts at flirting. Some annoyance on his behalf was perfectly to be expected. In fact, he could honestly say he was just looking out for her. It certainly didn't mean he was jealous. Or so he tries to tell himself.

"I was not jealous." He states crisply. Ally rolls her eyes.

"Uh-huh. Sure." She mutters sardonically.

"I was not." He adds again for good measure.

"_Okay_, you weren't jealous." She concedes, deciding to let him win the argument just so they could move on from this much unnecessary conversation.

"I mean, I just thought he had the most terrible timing." He relents, clearly not willing to put the subject to bed. Ally holds back a sigh at his immaturity as she leans back, preparing herself for the incessant bash session that was sure to come.

"And his hair? Who does he think he is? Pfff- Dallas?" He narrows his eyes laughingly. She bites her lips in annoyance, not even bothering to address his insult. He doesn't bother to apologize either. Instead he holds a hand up defensively, stopping her from making any comments on how dreamy that hair style was on him. He frowns. "Not that there's anything wrong with Dallas and his Justin Bieber-like hair."

"Austin-"

"And what was that about me being your older brother?"

He shakes his head in disgust as he lies down on the bed. She fights the urge to roll her eyes yet again. "Hellooo, hair colour!" he exclaims over-dramatically, pointing to his mess of blond hair. "He can't possibly be that stupid."

Ally tugs on a lock of her own dark locks, wondering why she's even trying to talk sense into Austin when he was in one of his 'moods.'

"Austin, your mother is blonde and your dad is brunette, it's actually highly likely that if we were related our hair colours would be dif-"

"I mean it can not be that hard to see we were together." He snaps in annoyance, not realizing the significance of the words that left his mouth.

She stops speaking then and stares at him in question.

Austin doesn't miss a beat. His hand flies up to his neck defensively in an instant. "I don't mean together, like together." He explains.

She raises an eyebrow.

"…I just mean together, like you know together…" He trails off helplessly.

She sighs. A stammering Austin was never a good thing.

Ally concludes that all this erratic behaviour must have been caused by his exhaustion.

Putting the hopeless boy out of his sweet misery, she picks up a pillow that had been crushed underneath the blond singer's weight and gently swats his head with it.

"Go take your shower."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know, I made you guys wait for over a month and there's barely any Auslly.**

**Next chapter will be fluffier! I promise. It'll even include a phone call from Trish and Dez! And maybe…MAYBE a kiss.**

**We'll see how it pans out.**

**Until next time!**


	11. Calls and Confusion

**A/N: I hope everyone is enjoying their summer! Here is chapter eleven.**

**Are Austin and Ally getting a little too comfortable pretending to be a couple? Mhmm…**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally<strong>

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><p>"Not this again," Ally mumbles, her eyes closing in faint despair.<p>

Tight lipped with a frown edging on the curve of her mouth, she glares at the back of a certain blond haired boy's head. Her eyes burning into the mass of blond hair gleaming in the sunlight the cracks the semi parted curtains allowed.

She couldn't see his face. It was pinned down to the mess of pillows and sheets that littered the bed. Tilting her head to the side, she briefly wonders again how people manage to sleep like that without suffocating to death.

For goodness sakes, just the thought that oxygen even manages to reach a person's airwaves while their heads were buried so far in pillows was incredulous. Plus the fact that they were able to maintain in that position for hours without the slightest movement and still required assistance in waking up in the morning was just plain ridiculous.

Rubbing her temples tiredly, she marches over to his side; all while she contemplates the least agonizing way to get him to wake up.

Holding back a huff, she's momentarily annoyed as she is reminded of the fact that it is their third day on the cruise and already her second time waking him up. Seriously, what did she tell him about setting an alarm? How does he even manage to go wake up in time for school? How will he be able to get up in time for his gigs in the future?

But eyeing his sleeping form once again she can do nothing but sigh and brush a strand of her dark hair behind her ear, bristling quietly and promising to punish him for this later.

"Austin," She calls pointedly, poking a finger to where she supposed his torso was. She retracts her finger a second later. The white sheets stir for a split second and she swears she hears a light groan. This gives her the initiative to continue.

"Austin." She says in a sterner tone, this time jabbing the neck area.

The action earns her a slight tilt of the head, one that resembled an unwanted twitch. And a definite groan this time. She crouches down to the height up the bed, fully intent on using whatever means necessary on getting him awake.

"Get up, get up, get up." She chants calmly, poking and prodding him with every one of the 'p's she pops in her speech. She ends the last one with a particularly harsh jab.

She's only partially surprised when a hand emerges from underneath the thick covers and grabs her fingers that were suspended in mid air; halting her actions.

She stops and cautiously waits for his next movement. Whether it was verbal or not.

He slurs incoherently, shaking his head and begins blinking his way into consciousness. He still isn't facing her yet, his voice is muffled by the pillow his face was resting on.

"Stop…poking…" he mumbles wearily, his words laced heavily with sleep.

Ally bites her lip, looking away from their entangled hands to the sloppy outline of the back of his head. She waits a brief second before speaking to the sleepy singer.

"Well then maybe you should get up." She suggests with a shrug of her shoulders, even though he can't see it in his current position. It was supposed to be a hint for him to get up, but he didn't seem to care.

Another muffled groan is released from his figure as he squeezes her hand tighter in unhappiness.

"Are we gonna have to do this every morning?" She asks irritably, although she can't quite fight the condescending –albeit- exasperated smile etching its way to her face.

She has a feeling she already knows what his answer will be. And her guesses are only confirmed a second later.

The covers shift once again, moving in sync to weight of the body underneath. And soon enough, she's staring back at a familiar pair of warm brown eyes. A mischievous glint was present in those auburn orbs of his and already present on his face was a smile matching her own.

He softly releases her hand with one last reassuring squeeze, almost as if this was all just a huge joke for him.

"Most likely."

* * *

><p>"So why are you two late for breakfast this time?" Joseph asks nonchalantly, sipping his coffee.<p>

He didn't really seem to care for their answer. It was just an easy conversation starter, seeing as Austin and his new girlfriend always managed to be late or be the last two to show up for these family meals.

You would think that arriving to half empty buffet trays would encourage punctuality.

Seating themselves down next to each other on the sky deck for their daily breakfast buffet, neither Austin nor Ally wastes time with formalities such as 'good morning' or 'how did everyone sleep'.

Well Ally may have possibly mumbled a sleepy 'morning,' to the members of the table, but he was certain Austin went straight for the food they carried to the tables.

Joseph also seemed to be the only one to bring up the tardiness this morning.

"We actually would have been here earlier," Austin begins, "but Ally refused to take the fire escape staircase." Austin explains, shooting a pointed look in Ally's direction, as if he a victim for having to put up with her and her difficult ways.

He can tell she wants to roll her eyes, but she holds back.

"Which –might I add- is for emergencies only." Ally replies, picking up a fork in an overly obvious attempt to put the conversation to bed. She changes her mind however and allows a casual side comment to pass her lips, "And we wouldn't have been late if you had taken my advice and set up an alarm clock. Then you would have woken up early."

No one misses the motherly tone in her voice as she speaks.

"Austin, wake up on time? Yeah right," His dad quips with a slight shake of his head.

"You know dear, you should start setting an alarm clock too." Edna informs Joseph in a softer tone, touching the tanner man's arm gently. She passes Ally a knowing look, as if a bond was shared between only the two of them. "We women have to do everything."

Ally returns her look with one of her own classic 'what can you do?' looks.

He's familiar with seeing it right after Trish announces the news of getting fired from whichever store she had been working for. And sometimes even when he tells her the plotline of the latest Zalien movie -although usually that kind of scenario invites more of a 'why are you telling me this' or an 'if I pretend to be interested for a few seconds, will you leave me alone' look from her.

Come to think of it, she must have a mass pit of different faces varying in degrees of pity and resentment. Surprising, how he can't imagine anyone but her pulling it off.

"Don't have an alarm clock." Austin mutters, completely ignoring his dad's insult and his aunt's comment as he sticks a spoon in his pile of mashed potatoes a bit too harshly.

It wasn't his fault he was such a heavy sleeper.

"Use your cell phone." Ally supplies, digging into her food herself. She clearly did not intend on letting him off the hook and he wonders unpalatably if this was payback for having to wake him up earlier.

Just as Austin opens his mouth to reply, an instrumental version of 'Double Take' begins playing and he feels his jean pocket vibrate with the presence of his phone.

"Well you gotta set the alarm for earlier." Ally says in an oblivious tone, mistaking the call for the ring of a preset alarm.

"It's not an alarm, someone's calling." Austin explains, turning to look at her faux-condescendingly. He pulls the cell phone out of his pocket and hits the talk button.

"Hello," he answers, pressing the device to his cheek. He pulls out the spoon that had previously been buried in a pile of mashed potatoes, twirling the utensil around and making a disgusted face as he lifts the mushed up potatoes to his eye level.

"Austin?" the voice on the other end exclaims.

"Dez?" the blond scrunches his eyebrows.

"Hey man! Whatcha been up to?" The redhead asks. He was loud enough that Austin didn't need to keep the device pressed to his ear.

Energy was one of the things Dez never seemed to lack (the others being weirdness and an unexplained fondness for strange foods). And hearing his best friend over the phone, he can't help, but feel a little nostalgic.

Austin squares his shoulders, trying to recall all the important events that didn't involve his fake relationship with Ally. "Oh you know...not much, lots of food…pretty nice rooms…oh! And a magician."

"Awesome!" His easily excitable friend says a little louder than necessary. Austin suppresses a laugh, moving the phone so that is was now a good inch away from him.

The adults at the table all slowly divert their attention from the phone call and begin making small talk with each other.

"Hurry it up, Freckles." He hears a familiar voice say in the background. "I gotta talk to Ally."

"Hang on a sec." Dez says. The sound of pinching and phones being passed is heard.

He wonders if they were at Sonic Boom. Maybe they were hanging out in the practice room. The thought makes him a tiny bit homesick, but only a tiny bit he concludes, because the best part of Sonic Boom was still sitting right next to him.

Then; he distinctly hears the sound of Dez gasp in pain, most likely Trish's doing.

Seconds later, a female voice is heard. "Austin, it's Trish. Is Ally with you?"

Trish was never one to mince words.

He looks over to the brunette next to him who was innocently eating a piece of watermelon while eyeing him talking on the phone. She raises half an eyebrow.

"Trish wants to talk to you." He explains, as he hands the phone to her. Ally quickly sets down the watermelon and swipes her hands on a napkin like the sanitary person she is before reaching for it.

"Trish?" Ally asks, holding the phone the same distance Austin had done previously.

Ally's best friend Trish wasn't exactly a quiet person either. It's definitely more apparent when she gets pissed off, but even normally her loud demeanor isn't very lacking in Ally's opinion.

"Ally, I've been calling you for the longest time." The curly haired Latina states crossly. She can picture her friend holding the phone with one hand on her hip with an eyebrow raised in poorly contained annoyance.

"Well sorry, my phone is out of range here." She explains guiltily, staring at her plate of food, for lack of better things to stare at.

Ally's eyes widen a second later as it always does when she remembers something important.

"Oh, speaking of which; how's Owen?" she asks, her voice beginning to lace with concern. "Is he eating properly? Acting strange? It always takes him a while to adjust to new surroundings." she worriedly rambles, having already absentmindedly picked up a strand of her hair.

"Bird." Austin nods to his family, who were once again caught up in the two's conversation. Their faces relax from confused to understanding.

Over the phone, Trish's voice doesn't waver.

"Ally, your stupid bird is fine. In fact, maybe too fine. He drives all our neighbors insane since he won't shut up half the time."

Ally relaxes in her seat, dropping the strand of hair she had been fiddling with. She didn't know what she would do if something were to happen to Owen.

"He does like to talk." She notes.

"Just like his owner." Trish states honestly.

Ally only smiles a sheepish smile in response.

"Well that's good. How are things going at the store?" She asks, her cheerful tone seeping back in.

"Enough about that stuff! Tell me why you decided to leave me alone here with the wacko!" Trish's rough tone cuts off. Her arms were most likely flailing wildly with her every word.

She can hear an insulted 'Hey!' in the background; courtesy of the insulted ginger, then the sound of Trish shushing him, as if he were ten and she were his perplexed babysitter.

Ally rolls her eyes laughingly, finding herself missing the antics of the second half of Team Austin.

"I'll be back in two or three days." She assures, picking up her hair again, this time not to fidget or chew, but to twirl around her finger nonchalantly.

Trish huffs, clearly not bought by her words.

Ally fights a smile. She's prepared for Trish to reprimand her, to call her out on having a good time without her. What she wasn't prepared for, was an innocent, yet loud remark from another voice on the phone.

"Tell Austin that cute girl from the bathing suit shop is single now!" Dez calls from the background.

He was clearly unaware of the predicament his two friends were in, and Austin and Ally internally curse themselves for not letting him on the plan beforehand.

The two teenagers barely have time to panic or assess the danger of the situation, before Trish repeats Dez's words even louder, catching the attention of all members of Austin's family enjoying breakfast.

"Austin, Dez wants you to know that, that girl from the bathing suit shop is single now if you wanna go ask her out."

Oh, if only Austin's phone company was as horrible as hers. Then he wouldn't have picked up the stupid phone in the first place. They wouldn't be having this conversation. And she wouldn't feel bloated and light headed. No, his phone would be shut off and hiding in the corner of a suitcase like hers.

Ally feels her hand itching to slip some hair in her mouth and chew. She almost palms her face as well, but instead does neither, settling for cringing slightly and squinting her eyes, hoping everyone would think her friend was kidding.

"What are you talking about?" From beside her Austin's voice cracks under poorly disguised pressure. "Why would I do that?"

Ally flinches at how many octaves his voice has risen in such short amount of time.

The damage doesn't stop there.

"Oh and Ally, guess who stopped by Sonic Boom looking for you the other day?" Trish continued, not even bothering to address Austin's strange tone. The Latina was probably too excited. She didn't even give Ally enough time to respond. "Dallas!" She squeals gleefully.

At this point Ally's not even thinking clearly anymore. Sitting at the buffet table, with a phone held a good inch away from her, she can only blink stupidly and curse her own existence.

"Why?" She asks genuinely confused.

"Oh, I don't know silly." Trish starts sarcastically, "Maybe to ask you out!"

And then Ally's horrified all over again for a whole other reason.

"Ask out the cute girl! Ask out the cute girl! Ask out the cute girl!" Dez chant's in the background.

Austin finally snaps out of his horrific trance and quickly swipes the phone out of Ally's frozen hand.

"Anyways, we gotta go. Talk to you all later." He says before hastily ending the disastrous phone call.

He shoves his cell phone back inside his pocket. The action feels awkward. Maybe because he was feeling several pairs of eyes boring into him.

He's almost afraid to look up. When he does, it's just as he suspected, raised eyebrows, confused stares, mouths agape in question.

He tries his best to keep his tone calm and casual.

"Those were just our friends…they like to make jokes that endanger our relationship." Austin says, his tone dropping from feigned light and cheery to a classic deadpan near the end.

The table remains quiet, everyone mulling over the situation with their own interpretation and an understandable amount of confusion.

Austin doesn't waste any time in trying to save his own behind.

"Ally, would you like some ice cream?"

She's realized by now that 'ice cream' was their code word for needing a moment in private. So this time she mumbles a half-hearted 'I would love some' and follows him without making him ask twice like last time.

Truly, she just wanted to get away from all baffled looks from around the table. A pang of guilt hits her from out of nowhere all of a sudden. She really didn't want to have to lie to these people.

He pulls her once again to the side of the deck, close the rail of the boat where the fire escape was. She's a little reminiscent of the last time she was pulled there. And a heated blush begins to creep on her face at their little moment the last time something like that happened.

"That could have gone a lot better." He says, shaking his head, as if trying to clear all negativity from the recent events out of his head.

She nods hesitantly, biting her lip.

"You don't think they're doubting our relationship now, do you?" Ally asks, voicing her own concerns.

She was always worried her and Austin didn't share enough amount of chemistry to make this whole thing work. Now she was positive this whole thing was a bad idea.

"They're probably just a little confused." Austin responds slowly, turning around to face her. He sounded as if he was trying to convince himself too. He furrows his eyebrows in thought. "We need to convince them once and for all that we're together." He says, rubbing his chin in a thinking manner.

Ally narrows her eyes. "What can we do?" she asks, crossing her arms.

She was sure they'd done all the basics, hand holding, (bad) flirting and even a peck on the cheek. Even at a moment like this she can't help but wish there were some kind of guide to faking relationships. They could call it 'Fake Dating For Dummies'. Or better yet just 'Dummies'.

Austin on the other hand, seems to have it all figured out. He drops his hand from his chin, suddenly looking very alert and thoughtful.

"I could kiss you." He states seriously, all of a sudden. He's looking directly at her. "Actually, kiss you. Not just a peck, but like a kiss."

Ally looks at him skeptically, her eyelashes thick and lips curling downward. She's about to lecture him on the fact that none of his plans ever seem to work. When the rational part of her brain processes the words he's just said.

And then confusion flashes through her conscious mind, then not soon after; horror.

"_What?"_

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, so I couldn't fit the kiss in this chapter. But the next one for sure!  
>Oh and to 'Dejavu' who asked what my favorite book was, I don't really have a favourite! Can a give you a list of books I'd recommend? <strong>

**Before I Go To Sleep, Looking for Alaska, Before I Fall, 13 Reasons Why, Harry Potter series and Hunger Games series. **

**Thank you all for reading and have a pleasant day.**

**Until next time!**


	12. Keychains and Kisses

**A/N: Hi all!**

**Before I start this chapter, I'd like to thank **_**ExtremeSaucicity**_**for all her help on this chapter.  
>She helped me come up with ideas, fixed up my errors, and served as a huge inspiration with her beautiful writing. And yes. She is awesome.<strong>

**How about we all go over to her fics and leave her a nice –maybe slightly aggressive review telling her to update her stories. Moonshine in particular.**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally.<strong>

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><p>Ally nods solemnly; her face still a mixture of shock and disbelief.<p>

"Yeah," she finally says, her voice high and panicky. A delirious laugh is beginning to bubble in the pit of her throat. "A kiss! And then we can get married at the Sonic Boom where Trish and Dez can send us off to our honeymoon with tambourines and meat-fries!" She's waving her arms around in a crazed fashion while she speaks and he's sure it would be quite comical if she wasn't so hysterical at the moment.

Austin's hand flies up to his neck as he looks away from her, the whole awkwardness of the situation finally getting to him.

"Well…I don't know about the tambourines and everything but-"

"See, now you're freaking me out because I don't actually think you're joking." Ally cuts him off, regaining her serious tone.

She doesn't hesitate in giving him another one of her classic 'Ally' faces. This time it's the 'why in god's name was I saddled with the misfortune of meeting you' face.

He doesn't even have time to act insulted as his eyes flick back around the deck before settling on her again. This time they're filled with newfound determination. Austin takes a step closer to her, trying his best hand at reasoning.

"Don't you think this would be a good idea?" His voice was filled with as much hope as he could muster.

She makes an exaggeratedly horrified look in response. Her eyebrows skillfully raised, eyes questioning and mouth slightly agape in abhorrence.

He sighs loudly. She thinks this may the first time she's seen him this annoyed.

"Why are you so against it?" he asks, crossing his arms in as much defiance as he can manage.

"Why are you _not_ against it?" she retaliates, scrunching her face up in a mixture of curiosity and annoyance.

He scoffs, uncrossing his arms to place his hands on his hips. He bends his head down a little, so she doesn't have to look up so much. Well it actually wasn't so much of a look than it was a glare.

"_I_ am trying to save our relationship," he quips, shaking his head at her, looking as if she'd just killed his dog or something. May she note, that he sounds absolutely ridiculous in that bravado tone of his.

Ally forces herself to breathe a lungful of air, before placing both hands on Austin's shoulders, grabbing him forward and forcing him to bend his knees so that he's at her exact height.

"Listen to me, Austin," Ally says, practically seething with unreleased anger, "We. Do. Not. Have. A. Relationship." She spaces out her sentence, making sure each word is etched clearly into his brain.

Austin raises an eyebrow, his eyes slightly clouded with an estranged look as he mulls over her words for a second. Just when she thinks he finally understands; he opens his mouth and any possibility she had of him finding reason are instantly crushed to smithereens.

"Wow…that is the meanest thing my girlfriend has ever said to me before."

She makes an oddly distressed noise that sounds like she's trying to breathe and hold back a frustrated scream at the same time.

"I am not your girlfriend!" she all but yells at the boy in front of her. The sheer nerve he had was enough to drive her to a fit of insanity.

"Be quiet, they'll hear you!" Austin whisper-shouts to her, his eyes frantic as he does a quick take to the table on the far end of the deck. She bites back the sarcastic response forming on her tongue and stops herself from accentuating the glare she focused upon him. She takes another breath of air.

"Austin, don't you think it'll just be better if we tell your parents the truth?" she asks hopefully. Desperately.

"Uh, _no_," was the blond's well thought out response.

Ally buries her face in her hands, wondering why on earth she took on the task of becoming Austin's fake girlfriend. She could barely keep up with the crazy rock star on a daily basis.

Trish was right. She _is_ a giant pushover.

"Listen, Ally," Austin says, prying her hands away from her face. She's so frustrated, she doesn't even frown at him. Instead she just stares at him, waiting for him to continue. "I don't wanna have to go on all those lame dates with all those girls my mom thinks are good for me," he says sincerely. "It's just not something I wanna do. I mean, why would I do that when I'd rather spend my time cooped up in the practice room, over a grand piano with you?"

He sees her soften at his words. He carefully places her hands back down to her side before he releases his grip on them.

A brief moment of silence is shared between the two. Finally, Ally shifts her weight from one foot to another, her bottom lip ghostly white from the pressure of her teeth biting on it.

"How long does the kiss have to be?"

He smiles.

* * *

><p>"See, when we reach our pit stop, we can put the plan into motion," Austin says casually, sitting cross legged on one of the beds.<p>

Reaching the pit stop to Ronmclain Island is the reminder that their time on the cruise is halfway over. As well, is their unofficial-official status of girlfriend and boyfriend. Remembering that fact always served as a motivation for Ally to finish what she started. Or, at least, finish what she agreed to. Let's not forget the motivation to _never_ trust her blond friend ever again.

Standing in front of him, she's afraid to actually discuss the plan. The crimson of her cheeks never did truly die down from the absurdity of his suggestion a while ago and her reluctant acceptance to it. The casual, easy-going vibe he gives off about the whole thing is also ticking her off.

Eventually, she caves. Not without an unnecessarily forced grunt of annoyance however, as she takes a step closer to him. "What exactly is this plan?"

He stares back at her blankly. "We're going to get off and I'm going to kiss you," he states forwardly.

Ally sighs, fixing on her best perplexed look. "That's just going to look very awkward and _very _unnatural."

He leans forward, tapping an index finger to his chin, most likely processing this information. He doesn't seem fazed at all about the kissing and she wonders if she should run it by him again that friends usually don't go around kissing each other. And by 'usually', she means not _ever_.

He stares back up at her, his eyes challenging with an odd sparkle present. "Are you suggesting we build up to the kiss?"

She plops down beside him, his eyes following her as she does so. "I'm suggesting we think this through."

He shrugs almost disappointedly and raises an eyebrow. "You got a better idea?"

She scrunches her eyebrows together in thought. He can almost hear the gears and wheels turning and shifting in her mind as she thinks.

"Ooh!" she almost jumps up in excitement, catching him off guard. "We could give each other a very convincing hug," she nods smugly as if she had just fully won herself over.

Austin, on the other hand, doesn't seem as convinced as he fights the urge to scoff pompously.

"Ooh," he exclaims mockingly, "calm down there. Maybe after that, we can have some eye contact, that'll _really_ get them."

She gives him the darkest look she can manage while mentally debating whether or not to slap his arm. He seems to sense her negative vibe and moves a good inch away from her.

She's still frowning disapprovingly at him when he pretends to sigh.

"I'm telling you, this is going to work," he says.

She snorts as a form of reply and he has good enough sense to pretend not to hear it. Hanging his head back in fatigue, he knows it's his turn to reason with her.

"I mean, have you ever seen a relationship where a boyfriend and girlfriend don't kiss?" he urges. She still doesn't say anything so he moves closer to her again, clasping his hands together in the process. "Picture this: we arrive on the island to browse through a couple of gift shops, I'll buy you a nice necklace, you say something nice about me- which isn't that hard if you think about it, and I kiss you."

She feels her face flush at his words and she almost believes that she can hear her heart beat quicken. She almost scowls at the fact that he's still using such a nonchalant tone, having absolutely no knowledge of what his words are doing to her and her rapidly thumping chest. The thought causes her lips to turn downward in bitterness.

His next words however, sound genuinely sincere.

"And you know what? It should be awkward, and you might be convinced it will be, but I know for a fact that it won't be," he says pausing. He's staring straight at her with unfaltering eyes and a hint of a smug smile spreading on his lips, "Because it's you and I."

His words were familiar, yet there was something in his tone that made her believe this was all going to work out. So she just exhales slowly.

"Do I get to pick the necklace?"

"You get to pick the necklace," he assures in a laughing tone, eyes still twinkling.

She looks away from him, trying to find her sane mind. After much collecting and deep breathing exercises, Ally clears her throat.

"It's not that simple, either," she says, regaining authority in the situation, "we need to lay out a scene, make it convincing."

Austin nods in agreement, a small smile present on his face.

"Also we need a trigger word," she continues, her eyes beginning to squint as she thinks, "you know, so we both know when it's coming."

"I see," he supplies, for the pure sake of letting her know he's listening.

"Now, what could I compliment you on?" she asks aloud, her fingers beginning to drum on the bed sheet in a steady rhythm.

"Well, there's so much to choose from," Austin jokes. At least, she certainly hopes he's joking.

He moves his legs rudely onto her lap as he leans back on the bed into a more comfortable position.

Ally swats at his legs away exasperatedly, even going as far as grabbing a pillow and hitting his torso. But this fails as he simply moves them back the second after she swats them off.

He grins at her victoriously from his position lying down and she gives him a disapproving look. The smile on her face kind of ruins it though.

She temporary gives up trying to shove him off as they sit in a conversational silence.

"There are so many things wrong with this plan," Ally says after a beat, sounding as if she has just slowed down long enough to rethink the entire thing.

He doesn't say anything either, his gaze concentrated all the way on the other side of the room. She's sure he agrees. This was practically suicide.

But then Austin moves his legs in a new position. Hovering his legs slightly above her lap, he smirks at her with his eyes mischievous and sparkling with amusement.

"Well, if you're _that_ worried about it, maybe we should practice."

She doesn't think she's ever kicked anybody off of a bed that hard before.

* * *

><p>Briskly walking and keeping a good distance in front of the group of adults, he hears Ally's voice speak from beside him, somber and forced to a lower volume than he's used to.<p>

"Recap," she orders assertively. Well, assertive in Ally's sense. No matter how aggressive she was sometimes capable of sounding, he would always regard his brunette songwriting partner is harmless.

He has expected this. They've just departed from the boat in the last couple of minutes and were given an hour or so to explore the island. It figures, one of the first places someone would go to would be the gift shop.

That's kind of ironic, seeing as how people would rather buy souvenirs to let others know where they've been, instead of actually taking time to explore the place for themselves.

Austin scratches his head as he wracks his brain for the response to Ally's demand.

"We are going in to the nearest gift shop, getting you a necklace, all while making sure my family is watching," he recites off the top of his head.

She nods, slightly tilting her head to the side as a way of telling him to continue.

"Uh…then I guess… you can act all sentimental and goofy," he says a bit unsurely, doing a quick take to her as if checking her approval.

Ally slightly rolls her eyes at the thought of herself gushing over Austin, but otherwise motions for him to continue again.

"I'll say the words: for my favorite songwriter-slash-girlfriend," he adds, smiling cheekily as if cursing his own charm and she's sure he's mentally popping his collar at this point, "and you'll say: oh Austin! I'll wear this all the time as a constant reminder of you!" he fake-falsettos in a voice she assumes is supposed to match her own.

Holding a hand up, she promptly shakes her head and pauses his fantasy. "How about I just say: thank you, Austin, you're so sweet."

He furrows his brow as if dissatisfied with her lack of enthusiasm, before giving a half appointed shrug and mumbling a faint, "That works too," under his breath.

Ally doesn't wait for him to recover his ego as she jumps to the end of their little skit. "Last but not least, you'll say: whatever it takes to make you happy."

Austin crinkles his nose in contrast to her smiling attitude. "Doesn't that sound a bit cheesy?" he asks dully, "I mean- I would never say something like that."

"That's why I would never kiss you," Ally deadpans.

"Point taken," he responds immediately without need for confliction.

Before he can take another step, she holds her arm in front of him, stopping him from walking, her eyes boring into his.

"So the line before the kiss is: whatever it takes to make you happy," Ally reviews, her gaze serious. "Don't forget," she adds sternly.

They both give each other an affirmative nod before turning their heels with smiling faces to match as they wait for Austin's family to catch up to them and put the plan to action.

* * *

><p>The first gift shop they enter is located right around the corner from where the ship is docked. Oddly, not a lot of tourists coming off of the ship bother to enter.<p>

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the majority of the store is filled with wooden carved objects. Really, it's all quite ridiculous. There's enough wood in the store to put a forest to shame.

The air conditioning in the small shack is also turned up so high that the machine makes loud groaning noises every couple of seconds.

Then again, that can also be due to the fact that the machines are so old.

"Excuse me, sir," Austin says, tapping the middle aged store owner on the shoulder. He doesn't look anywhere near as intimated as Ally does, as she stands close to him with darting eyes and hair ready for chewing.

The owner turns around right away, greeting them with thick eyebrows and a caterpillar-like tuft of hair growing just above his lip. His eyes seemed friendly enough.

"Do you sell necklaces here?" Austin asks, casually stuffing his hands in his jean pockets as he speaks.

The owner shakes his head far too many times to be necessary, all while waving his hands in frantic little motions in front of him.

"No, no, no," he states in a thick, unidentifiable accent. "No necklace," he says again after a moment's hesitation, with yet another shake of his head. Austin visually deflates a little, looking disappointed.

Ally sighs at their lack of success and makes a movement to grab Austin's arm and locate his family who are currently browsing the store. They are halted however, when the owner points a thumb over to a counter by the check out register.

"We have shrunken key chains," he exclaims dryly, not impressing either teen.

The duo turn their heads to a display of hand carved key chains dangling from an old suitcase sitting on a counter, not too far from where they are standing.

Austin turns his attention back to Ally, giving her a light shrug of his shoulder. "Would you like a key chain instead?" he asks, only half serious. He has a feeling he already knows what her response will be.

His suspicions are only confirmed when Ally raises a skeptic eyebrow and places a challenging hand to her waist. "Are you serious?" she deadpans.

"No," he laughs, grabbing her hand and leading her to where his family stood.

They haven't seemed to have missed them at all, as they all look pretty occupied, standing by an arrangement of assorted wind chimes. "Next gift shop," he whispers to her promisingly, giving her hand a slight squeeze as Mimi beams at the sight of the two of them.

"There you two are," she says happily, "Austin, look!" She points to a slightly crookedly hung wind chime. "Doesn't that look like the art project you made in fourth grade?" Her tone was nostalgic, yet Austin could read the true intention behind her words.

He lets go of Ally's hand to palm his face as he realizes the embarrassment that will soon befall him.

"Except uglier," Mike Moon adds with a casual nod, earning a snicker from Joseph. His son sends a dark, dispraising look in the direction of the two men.

"This wind chime is something indeed," Edna says, her tone eerily familiar to Mimi's.

Ally bites back a laugh, deciding it will be a good idea to stand up for her fake boyfriend for once. "I don't really think art is his thing," she says, eyeing Austin in a playful manner.

Austin unpalms his face long enough to return her playful expression with one of his own. "At least I don't always color inside the lines," he teases back smoothly.

She hangs her mouth open, pretending for moment to be insulted. "Hey! I _so_ colored outside the lines that one time," she says, her arms crossing in defense.

He scoffs. "You mean that tiny, little, almost non-existent speck?" he asks, squinting his eyes and pressing his thumb and forefinger together to exaggerate how small the speck was. He moves his fingers closer to her face as a point to annoy her.

Ally roughly shoves his fingers out of her face, earning a chuckle from him in the process and rolls her eyes.

"Don't even remind me. I'm still mad at you for breaking my crayon," she mumbles dejectedly, looking down at the floor in a mix of slight anguish and embarrassment.

"I'll buy you a new pack." He waves a hand airily in a disregarding fashion, while a bemused smile stretches across his lips.

"I'd rather have a necklace," she responds dully, her eyes peeking up from her previous fixation on the floor. She gives him a weak, but honest smile through her long lashes as the adults all laugh approvingly.

Austin exhales overdramatically. "Of course you would."

"Don't be cheap, Austin!" Mimi jokes, teasingly slapping her son's arm. He winces slightly, placing his hand to where his mom had slapped, not hesitating in giving Ally a faux-condescending glare to remind her that this is her fault.

As soon as their eyes click, Ally grins toothily at him again. Her eyebrows are slightly crinkled in a belittling fashion and he can't help but think that she looked almost cutely guilty. Yet somehow, she manages to seem not even the least bit apologetic.

He finds himself shaking his head and laughing in amusement.

"One of these days, you're gonna stop getting away with everything," he states, looking up and down her small figure surely.

It's Ally's turn to scoff as she brushes a strand of her brown hair behind her ear.

"Are you gonna stop me, _rockstar_?" she questions with a bright smile and a suggestive waggle of her eyebrows.

The words roll out of her mouth facetiously, effortlessly. Tauntingly.

He isn't even able stop to comprehend how dorky it all actually sounds, as his mind is fully intent on torturing him by replaying her words over and over again with different peculiarities.

Her eyes are glassy and brimming to the core with such spunk and fortitude that it's becoming hard for him to take his eyes off of her.

Before he knows it; against his own sane mind and reason, he's pulled her close and crashed his lips against hers.


	13. Squeaks and Shruken Heads

**A/N: No, I am not dead!**

**I can tell you all about how awful school is and how badly it screws up my writing schedule, but really the credit for this chapter going up at all, goes to **_ExtremeSaucicity _**who also beta'd it. She's quite a busy author and if you've read any of her fics, you already know how talented she is.**

**She actually had the chance to meet Ross and Laura last week. So while I'm super jealous and live too far away ****to actually attend the event with her, you can read all about her experience on her profile. And yes, there was Raura.**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally.<strong>

* * *

><p>Austin Moon is an idiot.<p>

Well, idiot is a bit of a bland term, so let us review the meaning of this, oh, so elegant word.

Idiot: a person of very low intelligence who is often shown to be difficult to work with because of their bumbling imprudence. An idiot may often be conceived as stupid, ignorant, or frankly just a bit of a blockhead.

Thinking over the definition, Austin really doesn't think he qualifies as one. Sure, he may sometimes appear dense; his thought process isn't nearly as strong as famous scientists, and random objects do often seem to distract him easily, but a blockhead was definitely something he's positive he is not.

And so what if Ally has called him one in the past? He's almost a hundred percent sure she'd been joking at that time. For the most part, anyway.

In fact, anytime Trish, his dad, or _Ally_ would call him an idiot for lack of a better word to describe him and his glorious antics, he'd simply shrug it off and bury it away in the back of his easy-going mind. Because that's what easy-going guys like Austin Moon do. They bury stuff.

It's easier that way.

Yet the moment he feels himself cave, feels his inner resolve crumble, feels his lips touching Ally's, he just knows there will be hell to pay for his actions.

No matter how soft her lips are, no matter large her doe eyes, he knows that the second his lips leave hers, he'll see the clouded look of confusion apparent in her eyes. He knows that her eyebrows will conjoin in astonishment and her jaw will drop in question. He knows that she will mercilessly interrogate him afterward, and he will need to have some answers.

He _knows_ that he may have just potentially killed everything they worked for the past few days. He knows that she will most likely batter at him relentlessly from this moment on. He knows he may have just caused an irreparable dent in their meant-to-be lifelong friendship.

But at the time being, lost in the moment with eyes closed, thoughts swarming and his heart beating erratically in anxiety; he swears he feels happy.

—

Their lips connect for a few brief seconds, both of them feeling an inner turmoil of mixed emotions, before a gasp escapes Ally's lips and she stumbles back a little from the shock.

With her mouth agape and eyes wide in alarm, she's wondering what on earth just happened, when her back hits a display of shrunken heads. The entire display begins jiggling violently, making quite a frightening scene.

She manages to let out a horrified squeak, eyebrows knitting together as she looks back and forth between a slightly dumbfounded looking Austin and the creepy jiggling heads.

The whole thing was quite a mess.

Austin stands motionless, unblinking, wearing a lightly dazed expression. He contemplates whatever reason that could have possessed him to make him act the way he did.

_What the hell._

Did he just kiss her?

Did he, Austin Moon, just kiss Ally Dawson, his best friend slash song writing partner? Sure, kissing was part of their plan to begin with, and he never could have suggested her being his fake girlfriend and _not_ have expected kissing.

But did he honestly just grab her and kiss her like that?

The baffled look on her face answers his question.

If only his hair were longer, he would've copied Ally's infamous technique, and stuck a strand of hair in his mouth and began to chew in hopes that the trick would put his mind at peace. Sadly, his hair only reaches the tip of his ears during summer and a little over the tips during winter.

Well, he supposes he can always rip out a strand of his hair and stick that between his teeth. But that would kind of hurt, not to mention that would look very awkward. And it'd be kind of gross.

Dear god, what is wrong with his mind?

Is he _this_ desperate to avoid thinking about kissing Ally that he'd rather think about chewing his own dead hair instead?

Staring at the terrified Ally, he's unsure whether her reaction was geared towards him kissing her or at the remaining shrunken heads that were still bobbing, angry scowls upon their faces.

Seriously, who buys this crap, anyway? Shrunken heads are used in just about every cheap horror movie ever produced. What can you possibly do with them? Hang it on your door and use it as a door knocker so people can recognize a torture chamber when they step into one?

Wait, no—how did he get to thinking about shrunken heads?

He's supposed to be focused on Ally and why the hell he just kissed her a minute ago. Why did he?

Well, she did have soft lips.

They curve up nicely when she smiles, too. Not just her lips, when she smiles her eyes gleam, too. They remind him a little of mirrors. In fact, checking his hair through the reflection of her eyes has always been a lucky ritual of his.

And she tasted a little sweet, kind of like Skittles and syrup.

Syrup usually goes on pancakes.

The last time Ally served him pancakes, they were lining up for a MyTab. Oh, and he accidentally let her beloved pet bird Owen out of his cage and spent most the day, sweaty and panicked, trying to catch that feathered little bastard—who, by the way, actually _could_ talk.

But he did get a chance to give his first ever acoustic performance. And they did manage the hold the MyTab in their hands for a fraction of a second, even if they did end up having to give it away to mean, old Mindy. It was a good day nonetheless.

Maybe Ally will serve him pancakes again sometime.

Okay, now his mind is seriously freaking him out. Back to business. The kiss. Right.

Ally breaks eye contact with him to do a quick take to his mother who has a hand to her lips in bewilderment and possible excitement. Mimi seems as if she wants nothing more but to blend into the scene as inconspicuously as possible.

Then she catches the gaze of Austin's father, who has an eyebrow raised, looking a bit baffled and taken off guard, as if he isn't sure how to react to the scene in front of him. It looks like he wants to turn away and watch at the same time. She wonders if this is the first time he's seen his son kiss someone.

Edna's unsurprisingly grinning widely at the two, nudging Joseph's ribcage, while he, himself, is also sporting a cheeky smile.

Looking away from the scene and unsure of what else to do, Ally lets out another squeak of panic before she gives up trying to speak altogether and ends up looking down at her shoes to hide her quickly growing blush.

She would have totally have glared at Austin if it didn't risk catching the eye of another family member again.

Not understanding the situation in the least bit, Joseph takes a step forward and pats the younger boy on the back in an approving manner. "Way to go, Austin!" Joseph exclaims, breaking the silence with good intentions, but with very bad timing.

Austin weakly lifts his head to greet his uncle with a forced raise of his lips. His hands dangle awkwardly by his sides and his eyes were looking anywhere but at the petite brunette. He finds himself suddenly very afraid of making eye contact with Ally again.

Mimi breaks free of the fly on the wall character she adapted herself to earlier to coo at the happy couple. "Ally, dear! No need to be shy," she assures lightly, walking over to rub her shoulder. Her bright grin not at all succeeding in making Ally feel any better. Mimi then turns her attention to her son admiringly. "I never knew our Austin was so forward!" she exclaims with a curious squint of her eyes.

Austin blushes, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and mortification. He's hoping, _praying,_ that someone else will say something to ease the tension. He even tries making telepathic signals, directed at his father in hopes he would change the subject with something crude or boring.

Yet, the next person who speaks surprises him.

"Austin, can I speak to you for a while outside?" Ally asks weakly, her voice sounding timid and fragile. Her eyes are still trained on the ground as she already begins to lead the way out of the small shop, without waiting for confirmation from him.

After taking only a few steps, she stumbles slightly on a shrunken head that most likely fell when she had her little episode a while ago. Throwing her head back in sass, she mutters something darkly about the object having dry skin and terrible wrinkles as she makes her exit.

Holding back his nervous gulp, Austin laughs breezily, his hand coming in contact with his forehead in an attempt to wipe away any sweat that gathered. He jokingly rolls his eyes, trying desperately to stay a good sport.

"She just can't get enough of me!" he calls back to his family with an assuring grin as he swiftly follows her out.

* * *

><p>"What was that?" she demands harshly, walking a few paces ahead of him as they depart the gift shop through the front entrance.<p>

He shoves his hands in his pockets and skillfully keeps his eyes on the ground. "What was what?" he asks quickly, feigning innocence.

"_That!_" she spits out venomously, whipping her whole head to emphasize the heated glare she sent in his direction. She gestures wildly in the direction of the shop. "What was it?!" she demands again, hands now moving to rest on her hips.

Austin gulps. "I—uh, you know, I kissed you," he states, attempting nonchalance, "just like we planned," he adds soon after, scratching the back of his neck.

Ally's eyes narrow, her shoulders square from the pure bristling frustration building up inside of her. An eye twitches. "No," she snaps condemningly, "not like we planned!" She shakes her head in exasperation as she began taking deep breaths.

"Well—" he tries to speak, but she immediately cuts him off.

"The reason you plan things is for order!" she states, the level of her voice is rising with every word. "Planning is also the thing you do when you don't want to catch the other person off guard! This is why we balance things!" she hisses, angrier than he's ever seen her before.

He runs a hand through his blond hair in desperation, "Look, it was going to happen anyway, what's done is done," he reasons, feeling frustrated with both her and himself.

If only he'd contained just a little more will power!

He pauses for a brief instant, thinking over his choice of words. "If it helps, you can sleep on the good bed tonight," he suggests weakly, cringing as the words leave his mouth.

Ally blinks, her face all of a sudden blank. "You think that's what this is about?" she asks coldly. "You think this is about the stupid bed?" her dark eyes bore into his as she spoke in a quiet and incredulous tone.

Austin winces, knowing he made the wrong assumption. "Is it about the necklace, then?" he tries again, voice unsure and wavering, very much like how he felt.

Her gaze on him intensifies in an instant. Looks aren't supposed to hurt, but at her stare, he swears he feels the presence of knives pierce his ribcage.

She opens and closes her mouth at him for a full minute, blinking away her disappointment before her mouth fixates into a thin line of disapproval.

Austin squints his eyes, never really fully understanding the meaning of 'scared shitless' until that very moment. He gulps, feeling his building distress. "I don't suppose I can get away with saying I was kidding?" he asks, adding a delicate smile at the end, in full hopes of winning her back over.

She holds her ground. Not dropping the glare, she shakes her head slowly.

"Are you angry?" he asks cautiously, although the answer was quite evident to say the least.

She calmly nods her head, not bothering to address his stupidity. In her eyes at the moment, Austin is no doubt a genuine idiot.

Austin is about to back himself up when he sees his family beginning to emerge from the entrance of the store.

Not good. Arguing right after the first public kiss is just _screaming_ dysfunctional relationship. Looking back at Ally, with her hands on her hips in defiance and her punctuated grimace, he can think of no other choice.

"Would you say this is the maddest you could possibly be?" he questions, thinking fast on his feet, mentally debating whether or not to push his luck.

She breaks her personal pact of not speaking to him for a second to take an annoyed breath. "I think so," she states confidently, nodding her head and causing thin weaves of her hair to bob along with the action.

Austin shrugs, rubbing the palms of his hands together, feeling slightly frisky.

"Really? Well then, I guess it wouldn't matter if I did this." Finishing his sentence, Austin pulls her close again, and despite the surprised noise of protest she makes, one hand curls into her hair to rest near her neck, his other hand reaches to pull her by the waist. And his lips take over hers for the second time that day.

The family depart the store slowly, making small chit chat along the way. Just the usual stuff, weather, work, Austin's newfound forwardness, Ally's cute little stumble when she was caught off guard. Laughs are shared all around. These conversations soon come to a halt as all eyes land on the familiar young couple locking lips in a short distance.

Eyebrows raise, grins spread.

And just before Joseph is able to let out a low, suggestive wolf whistle, Mimi quickly shuffles her feet and hurriedly pushes at everyone to get a move on so the couple can have a little alone time. ("Get a move on! Come on, leave 'em alone.")

She flashes a motherly grin coated with affection in the direction of the two musicians before aiming one last push at a curious Edna, trying to crane her neck.

What a lively duo.

—

Ally somehow manages to hold off her displeasure and slowly built up temper until she sees that the family is a good distance away out of the corner of her eye. Her fingers are still clutched tightly against his chest, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt in frustration.

She releases her grip immediately, lightly shoving him backwards to release herself of the awkward embrace and to inhale some air. His breath hitches slightly at their breaking contact. Her eyes are dangerous. They resemble one of a feral animal on the loose. There's a specific animal he has in mind. What's the name of the animal he's thinking of… a wild mountain lion, that's it.

Her lips are puckered in a criticizing manner, looking as if she's fully ready to give him hell.

To be fair, she does allow Austin a brief second to defend his actions.

His dull response sounds pitiful even to his own ears. "Oopsie?" he states abruptly in a distraught tone, his features tense. His pupils dilate in chastity, suffering from an unexpected feeling of elation from the kiss.

Truth being told, that wasn't really the best plan he could've come up with.

But his parents were walking out the door, the moment seemed so intense, she was so incredibly close to him, her glare was _seriously_ starting to pierce through his normally thick skin, and….he kind of wanted to kiss her again.

He maybe—kind of—sort of—really, really, _really_ wanted to kiss her again.

Is that bad?

Austin scratches the back of his neck at a loss for words as he desperately tries to save the situation. It's really hard to think when the glare she accentuates upon him is so frightening.

She most certainly does not look amused.

"Ally," he says a bit helplessly, taking a step forward. He feels slightly overwhelmed by all these mixed emotions swirling around inside of him. Reaching a hand out to her in an attempt to touch her shoulder, he's dismayed when she takes a step back.

With a humph of indignation she swivels her head to the side, refusing to look him in the eye. "Unbelievable," she breathes out quietly, her posture stiffening. Her eyes betray her and she looks back up at him again, anger and frustration clearly displayed upon her knitted brows and thin lips. She's silent for a while.

Then, without another word, she swiftly turns the rest of her body away from him—the tips of her hair hitting his face in process—and walks away.

She hadn't been speaking very loudly, but he can hear a soft ringing noise, numbing and weaving in his ears in aftershock.

As the silhouette of Ally's retreating figure leaves him once again in the forced company of his own questionably sane mind, a frustrated groan escapes his lips in a thunderous volume.

His shoulders sag in dejection as his face falls to display a crestfallen expression.

He just _had_ to kiss her again. He just _had_ to ruin everything.

Stifling the sigh that's begun to stem up his throat, he ducks his head even lower to stare at the gravel beneath his feet. "Idiot," he mumbles to himself despairingly.

With his eyes tinted with misery and his voice laced with shame, his doleful features were almost comparable to a man whose been faced with terrible heartbreak.

* * *

><p><strong>Announcement: <strong>

**As much as I hate to say this, Damage Control is wrapping up. **

**I know! It feels like this fic has been going on for such a terribly long time. But that's only because I'm such a horrible author and my updates stem from weekly to monthly. There are only a couple more chapters left, so I'm thanking you guys for sticking with the story for so long. I know my writing schedule can be frustrating to follow.**

**I've also got some good news though! While I don't think a sequel for DC would be the best way to go, I **_**am**_** currently working on a project****…and it is a collaboration****!**

**Most of you probably saw this coming****, but**** author, **_ExtremeSaucicity_** and I have already begun writing out the fic. ****If you're not familiar with her stories by now, you should be ashamed. It's All Moonshine, Coffee Shops and Latte Art, Friendship Contract…and the creepy fic on exorcism, ring a bell? ****Our joint account is under the name **_Extreme Skies_**. **

**Until next time!**


	14. Tempers and Tantrums

**A/N: **

**So I nearly died writing this chapter. And no, that is not an exaggeration.**

**I'm very sorry for the wait. At least the chapter is about 8000 words?**

**Props to **_**ExtremeSaucicity **_**as usual, for providing me with enough ideas and inspiration for this chapter to carry through, and not to mention editing it. I don't know how she puts up with my constant whining and moaning.**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally.<strong>

* * *

><p>Agreeing to take on the role of Austin's pretend girlfriend had left Ally with one hope.<p>

One tiny, easily manageable, microscopic hope. Surely that hadn't been too much to ask for.

It wasn't like she was expecting a gold star from Mrs. Suzy, her former Elementary School music teacher, or a seal of approval from the US Navy for her services—even though that would be nice.

She had wanted nothing more, but to make it through the week with a little bit of grace, some respect for herself and the assurance that her and Austin's friendship could truly withstand everything, even something as awkward as pretending to date.

She did not, however, expect to be scraping her dignity off the bottom of her dark grey flats, being too embarrassed to even look at her own reflection in the mirror.

She did not expect to be feeling increased levels of anxiety with each ticking second.

She did not expect to be biting down on her lip hard enough to cut her blood circulation for weeks, trying to numb the tingling sensation of being surprise-attack-kissed by Austin Moon.

Her first kiss, nonetheless, swiped clean in a matter of seconds.

She won't even begin to get into how disastrously she reacted to said kiss.

Was knocking over an entire display of shrunken heads an effective enough bang to go out with for a first kiss?

There were just so many things wrong with that kiss. She almost wants to travel back in time and apologize to the five year old version of herself who's innocently daydreaming about castles and true love.

In fact, she should time travel back to just a week ago when Austin Moon was her best friend and partner, nothing more—and apologize to _that_ version of herself for having any expectations at all.

Of course she wasn't expecting fireworks or any type of indescribable sparks that instant. No. She had outgrown the clichés and stereotypical romance attributions as maturity took a toll on her perception, and her beliefs had ripened well with age.

That didn't mean she hadn't regarded her first kiss to be filled with a sort of beautiful compassion, empathic meaning, or something of the same effect.

She certainly never believed her first kiss would have meant absolutely nothing, though.

Certainly not one cruelly stolen from her in a moment of lowered defenses.

The upbeat singer on the other hand, didn't even appear the slightest bit sorry as he proceeded to steal her second kiss right after the first.

She didn't even get that necklace she was promised.

And while it's not like she had agreed to pretend to be his girlfriend and didn't expect kissing—they did have a kiss planned, after all—she just thought she'd be able to prepare herself for it right before it happened.

Prepare herself for the inevitable heartbreak that is giving up one of the most memorable moments in life to aid an unappreciative friend.

She really didn't think she'd find herself in a situation like this.

In fact, she's starting to believe she really wasn't thinking at all when she agreed to do this for him.

But the unfortunate thing? She would be lying if she said she hadn't felt fireworks.

* * *

><p>"You're not speaking to me, are you?" Austin asks the fuming brunette. His legs are crossed on the bed closer to the bathroom, eyes focused with a blank stare ahead, already accepting his dreary fate.<p>

Ally doesn't so much as turn in his direction as she flips herself over on the preferred bed.

Austin sighs, picking at the bed sheets in dejection.

"We can't have you being mad at me when we're supposed to be dating," he says airily, only half-heartedly trying to talk some sense in her. The other part of his mind is still drifting, being gloomily consumed by his own thoughts

"That's a shame," she mutters in deadpan, unsure why she's bothering to even answer him in the first place.

He grunts in displeasure at her response, his head dipping down. Silence consumes the room for a full half of a minute.

"_Alllly_," he whines suddenly, acting as if the silence had been hurting him physically. His tone sounded almost pleading. She gives a non audible sigh, feeling a little bad for the blond. She _is_ pretty sure she heard a slight tinge of guilt in his voice.

All traces of sympathy however, are washed away by his next statement. "My parents will start to think something is up," he exclaims, leaning his head back in overdramatic despair.

Her eyebrow twitches in irritation. Her lips purse close again.

The sheer nerve this boy has.

Tugging on a strand of her brown locks, she flips over on the bed to glare at him heatedly.

"What?" he asks innocently, craning his neck to the side at her sudden fixated frown.

"Nothing," she snaps sharply, using the bed to push herself up as she sits up in anger.

He gives her a hesitating look. "Okaaay…" he trails off unsurely, swinging his legs over the ledge of the bed he occupied. "So can we talk?" he asks hopefully, lips beginning to quirk into an adorable grin.

She doesn't fall for it.

"Talk about how you so completely screwed up the plan I made you recite six times?" she deadpans in a low voice, resisting an eye roll.

He cringes at her tone. "You see, there's a good reason for that." He raises a slightly arched pointer finger in protest.

Her expression remains neutral. She presses her palm to her cheek in an awaiting fashion. "Enlighten me."

Austin gulps nervously, never expecting to make it far enough to a point of explanation with her. He twiddles his thumbs, closing his legs together as he works out a useable excuse in his mind.

"This was…" he begins slowly, eyes still darting vividly as he thinks, "this was all part of the breakup plan!" he exclaims loudly, having said the first plausible thing that popped into his mind. He grins suavely at her, spreading his arms out in form of explanation.

"What?" she drawls slowly, eyelids dropping and palm slipping off her cheek in unsatisfaction.

He nods his head determinedly, his mop of blond hair bobbing up and down with his movements. "Yeah, you see, my parents won't be convinced of our breakup unless the fight happens directly after the first kiss."

The excuse sounds pathetic even to his own ears and judging by her sardonic expression, it isn't working on her either.

Ally narrows her eyes at him, questioning his sanity. "Your parents saw you kiss me a second time," she states bluntly, leaving out the part that it was against her will, nonetheless.

"Oh." His head snaps down in shame.

"Oh," she mocks, ignoring his grimace.

She considers lapping the conversation into absolute silence again, but she quickly decides against it in favor of her brimming curiosity.

"So why did you do it?" she asks pointedly.

His head snaps up, taken off guard. He had probably expected the conversation to be over by now. "Huh?"

She licks her lips in aggravation, fixing a stand of her hair with a pointer finger and thumb before speaking. "The kiss, Austin," she asks, voice dry enough to put the Pacific Ocean to drought, "why'd you do it?"

He blinks, not once, but twice. "The kiss?" he repeats in a high and panicky voice.

She raises an eyebrow in a 'duh' fashion, willing him to hurry up and continue.

"The kiss," he says yet again in a lower tone. "Why'd I do it?" He scratches the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Well…" he starts, but quickly begins fumbling with his fingers, his gaze travelling down to his lap. He falls completely silent.

She waits for an answer for a full four seconds before realizing he isn't about to answer.

Finally deciding to put past all this hurt and nonsense, she doesn't bother resisting an eye roll this time. "Forget it."

* * *

><p>An annoyed groan emits through Austin's throat; his head bobbing up and down as he trudges forward. His heavy footsteps are a sharp contrast to Ally's small, dainty ones.<p>

"Stop walking so fast," he pleads in a low voice, trailing helplessly behind the brunette.

Ally sticks a posh nose in the air, not slowing down in the slightest as she hurries toward the end of the hallway. "_Stop walking so fast_," she mocks immaturely under her breath, not yet over her previous anger.

Another inhuman noise escapes Austin when he hears her remark; this time sounding more like a sigh than a groan.

"Look, Ally—" he starts defensively—ready to provide a lame apology, but Ally swiftly spins on her heels to face him, giving him an immediate, warning look of disinterest.

He sluggishly catches himself from stumbling at her sudden halt. The icy stare she accentuates upon him would usually prevent him from trying any further, but he knows he's been nothing but irrational these past few days. And irrationality certainly deserves some explanation.

Closing his eyes, he presses his fingertips to his eyelids lightly as he tries to find the best possible way to get his feelings across to her. To explain this strange shift in the way he's seeing things. To properly apologize for kissing her out of random and ruining her carefully crafted plan.

He parts his lips slowly. "Ally, what I'm trying to say is-"

A rouge voice cuts him off. "Hey, I thought you looked familiar!"

Austin's eyes snap wide open at the sound of the all too familiar, yet unwelcome, voice. He's almost too paralyzed in shock and disbelief to turn his head and confirm his suspicions.

He doesn't have to, of course, because Ally quickly addresses the presence of the unwanted male in a matter of seconds.

She tilts her head to the side leisurely. "Hello," she greets. "Gary, was it?" The pleasant tone in her voice made Austin want to cringe, but he knew her well enough to know she wasn't too pleased at the run in, herself.

The part-time waiter quickly jogs from the entrance of the lobby over to where they're standing in the hall. He looks disgustingly elated to have caught up with the cute brunette he once waited on.

Austin curses the heavens and debates pensively over what deadly sin he could have possibly committed in the past to land himself in such an unfortunate position.

"I was hoping to run into you!" the brunette male exclaims, his eyes lighting up in contrast to the pained expression Austin has adopted within the last few seconds.

His eyes dart over to Austin's annoyed form, a slight twitch appearing. "Was kind of hoping you'd be alone, though." His crisp comment was directed specifically to the singer, who's just as discontent as he is, in fact, maybe even more so.

Austin throws his head back in disdain, manners going right out the window. "Don't you have some dishes to scrub or something?" he grumbles, intentions easily translating into, 'Get the hell out of my face.'

Ally's hands travel to rest on her waist, a habit of hers when she's annoyed with him. She sends him a stern, knowing look, silently asking him to behave.

Gary, however, doesn't miss a beat. "I'm off-shift," he comments dryly, barely glancing over to the blond. "And dish-washing isn't in my job description," he adds tamely as an afterthought.

"Could've fooled me with the cart of dirty dishes you were wheeling around," Austin trails off, referring to their infamous meeting over dinner.

He gives a reproachful shake of his head, looking like he expected Austin to know better. "I only bring the dishes into the kitchen."

Austin's eyes narrow even further at the tone of coarseness in his voice.

Ally seems to have noticed the tense atmosphere and quickly stops the two from further engagement. "So, um, Gary, what brings you here?" she asks conversationally, moving so that she's standing right between the two males.

The Dallas look-alike smirks almost conceitedly. "You do." The smooth reply leaves his lips in a puckered fashion. His eyes automatically narrowing on her like predators before they feast upon their prey.

Austin resists the notion to gag at his ridiculous attempts at charm.

Who gave him permission to use a corny line like that?

Ally gives a polite, albeit awkward, laugh, waving a dismissive hand at his flirtatious comment. Gary grins at the action, marking down a pathetic victory in his pathetic record of pathetic advances.

He flips his hair a little, trying to play nonchalant, displeasing Austin more than he would like to admit. "So I never really got your name." The statement sounds innocent enough, but the suggestive eyebrow on his inquisitive features makes Austin believe otherwise.

"It's Ally," she responds in obligatory niceness, adorable dimples forming by her cheeks. His smile widens, crinkles forming by his eyes, looking absolutely chipper to have received this information

"Ally," he repeats fondly, "rolls off the tongue quite nicely." He sends another grin her way, as if thinking he would no doubt be repeating her name for several times after this.

Austin coughs impolitely, effectively killing the moment. "Yeah," he roughly cuts in, "anyway, _Ally_ and I, we're in a bit of a hurry," he steps forward and moves to put an arm over Ally's shoulders. "We have dinner plans at a restaurant." His eyes take in Gary's dull gaze upon him and he holds up a sophisticated palm with the arm still resting on the song-writer's petite shoulders. "A different restaurant, with _good_ service," he completes his statement with a cheeky nod.

"Austin—" Ally starts in a reprimanding tone—fearing her blond counterpart was about to take it too far—but she's cut off by a laugh stemming from Gary's tan throat.

His eyes fixate upon Austin's look of confusion, lips quirked cockily. "I get it," he says, confidence oozing with every slowly stressed syllable. "You feel threatened by me."

Austin splutters incoherently. "Of _you_?"

"That's right," he affirms, merriment present from the distinguished curve of his lips.

The anger the comment generates from the other male is deathly.

Austin looks torn between resorting to physical violence and wanting to just take the higher road to turn and walk away.

But mostly physical violence.

If that's not bad enough, Gary keeps talking, completely ignoring the murderous aura currently spreading like wild fire.

"You two clearly don't have any chemistry," he states in a knowing tone. "So much so, that I mistook you two for siblings when I first happened upon your table." He smirks. "Although I _was_ pretty distracted by the hot brunette."

He sends a flirty wink to Ally yet again, but this time she's too horrified to even supply a properly embarrassed reaction as she stares at Austin's clenched jaw, waiting for the worst.

A beat passes and nothing happens.

"Au-Austin?" she asks tentatively, stepping out from under his arm to better survey his face, when he still makes no response.

The musician's eyes are still trained emotionlessly at the victorious grin swiping across the face of his competitor.

"Alright," he finally says, an air of defiance present in his tone. He turns his attention to Ally, the sudden action causing her to flinch and abruptly start to fidget with her fingers. His eyes are determined as he pulls her close to him again.

Ally uses her left hand to gently push on Austin's chest, stopping him from pulling her in any closer. "What are you doing?" she asks cautiously, noticing a trend in her partner's actions. This really all feels way too familiar for her liking.

He does a quick take to Gary, who's still unmoved, looking a little miffed at the sudden proximity between the two, then back to Ally, who's still glowering impatiently, waiting for an answer.

There's an unfamiliar edge to his voice. "I'm giving him a good taste of our chemistry." He says, speaking from the corner of his mouth, eyes focussed intently on the other male, burning deep with a sense of hatred and desire to destroy.

An inquisitive eyebrow settles itself on her polished features. "Do I get a say in this?"

He rolls his eyes a little. "You can say _yes_," he answers in agitation and attempts to pull her close again without waiting for her approval, but she pushes back sharper this time.

"Austin," she warns.

He looks her dead in the eyes, not a spark of humor or amusement present in his line of perception. "It's either I kiss you, or I sock him right in the eye," he deadpans.

Ally looks conflicted, purses her lips in thought. She shakes her head to decline. "Don't you have a better solution to this madness?"

A curt shake of his head answers her question. "No."

She sighs, quickly weighing her options, debating the likability of Austin actually punching Gary in the face. As passive and adorable as Austin usually is, it would not surprise her in the least if he did. The fire ignited in his glare further solidified her case.

Her thoughts are cut short by a quiet, but agitated, growl being released from Gary, who's most likely had enough of being cast aside.

Austin's grip on her tightens, almost protectively, and she mentally groans in dismay, already knowing what she needs to do.

Quickly, reverting to her tippy toes, she hesitantly wraps both her arms around Austin's sturdy neck in a loose fashion. She can see the other brunette frown disapprovingly out of the corner of her eye and conceives a quick mentally apology before swallowing thickly.

She breathes out of her mouth, locking eyes with the stubborn blond. He looks a bit surprised at this action, but not nearly as nervous as she feels, instead, a sense of curiosity overtaking his visage.

With her mind going crazy in a deranged frenzy, she leans up, slowly closing her eyes in the process and gently pecks his lips. Sooner than she expects, she's again greeted by the odd sparks of longing anticipation and the peculiar sensation that is kissing your best friend.

And strangely enough, she even feels a twisted, corrupt sense of bliss.

His eyes seal shut a second later; feeling the comforting graze that is her lips against his own. He's just about to relax into the kiss, when he feels her beginning to pull away.

Clearly, she's mistaken if she thought she could get away with a five second kiss.

With the hand that had been gently resting on the small of her back, he roughly pushes her even closer to him, both arms now wrapping securely around her waist. Her surprised intake of breath doesn't go unnoticed by him, and along with the conjoined hammering of hearts; both hers and his own, he impulsively decides it's a good time to part his lips.

She's left with very little choice but to follow suit.

She releases a small noise censure, sounding a bit uncomfortable and suddenly conscious at all this intimacy, but she doesn't try to pull away again. Taking this as a good sign, he allows his tongue to very carefully sweep across her lips before entering her mouth.

Her closed eyelids manage to flutter at the sensation as he tilts his head for better access. He deepens the kiss even further while he's able to forget all about stupid Gary and the fact that he's standing less than five feet away, a look of disgust probably displayed all over his dull exterior.

He's able to forget all about the fact that he's currently amidst a complicated fake relationship, the fact that they're probably already late for dinner, forget that he's not technically supposed to have feelings for his songwriter and slowly, he subsides into the guilty pleasure that is kissing Ally Dawson.

Their kiss lasts for a full minute. Their lips part too soon by obligation.

Finally pulling back, she stares up at him, mouth hanging open a little. A mixture of surprise and bewilderment splashed across her countenance.

He returns her sentiment with a nervous scratch of his head, desperately searching her face for any sign of approval or disgust. Finding no sense of either emotion present, he tries his luck by giving her an anxious smile.

They are interrupted by a scary chill and immediately feel the occupancy of sharp eyes digging into them like daggers. Gary finally makes his presence known again, looking both furious and embarrassed; a scowl in serious danger of spreading across his thin lips.

Austin's attention drifts away from Ally and his lips gradually upturn in triumph, drinking in the other male's dismay. Giving a quiet snicker, he steps away from her and takes a step closer to him. His own face is illuminated with glory and exuberance, his height advantage also further adding to his status.

An awful silence consumes the three as Ally waits expectantly for Gary to lose his temper, or for some awful showdown between the two males to take place.

Instead, the waiter's anger quickly washes away to be replaced by a look of pure grief and remorse.

He gives one more look at the pretend couple: Austin trying unsuccessfully to mask his smug smirk and Ally, who looks a mixture of sympathetic and cautionary, and turns to make his exit.

No sooner had he taken two steps in the other direction when he hears the blond threat's irritable voice.

"Awe, what, you're going?" Austin calls out insincerely, one hand already moving to rest on Ally's shoulders again. "So soon?"

Gary doesn't bother turning his head at the jeers.

"Austin…" Ally warns quietly, impatience seeping into her tone.

He completely ignores her, shouting merrily at his retracting foe. "Okay! Buh-bye now! Have a nice life!"

The flurry of his dark hair disappears as Gary makes a turn towards a path into the lobby. As soon as his figure is gone from their view, Ally roughly removes Austin's arm from her shoulders, turning so that her front is to him. She sends a heated glare in his direction.

Austin's too busy breaking down in hysterics to register her anger. "Di-did you see his face?" he asks in between bouts of laugher, a pointer finger coming up to wipe a tear from his eye.

She releases an agitated discharge of breath, closing her eyes. "That wasn't very nice," she bites out.

Austin's laugh turns dry at her accusatory tone. He snaps his head up to look at her, hair flipping slightly at the sudden action. He surveys her somber features before coming up with a cheeky reply. "It was pretty darn nice of me not to break his nose."

Ally furrows her eyebrows, not having anticipated his reply. She blows a strand of hair from her face. "I'm being serious. He didn't do anything wrong."

It was Austin's turn to furrow his eyebrows. "Didn't do anything wrong?" he repeats disbelievingly, gingerly smacking the palm of his hand to his forehead. "Ally, he was flirting with you," he explains as if she were some naive little girl, who didn't understand the definition of being harassed.

"He was not!" she lies defectively, voice cracking left and right.

He gives her an unconvinced look.

"Okay, maybe he was," she admits begrudgingly, not without a sarcastic roll of the eyes. She counters him with another question, "But was I responding?"

"Maybe you would have if I hadn't shoved my tongue down your throat!" he blundered, too obnoxious to see the fault behind his reasoning.

Ally draws back, pausing in shock, before looking disappointed in him. "You're disgusting."

Austin scoffs, left arm flailing in effort to make a statement. "_He_ was being disgusting. I was just trying to keep my lunch from leaving my stomach."

"At least he had the courtesy act nicely," she snaps, increasingly annoying Austin for the fact that she's defending the enemy. She gestures rudely at him. "You, on the other hand, were just being immature, like you always are."

He feels something inside of him snap at her words, feels a rush of fury fly through his veins, and he's distraught.

"I'm _immature?_" he asks incredulously, as if not properly comprehending how cruel she sounded at the moment. He pauses and laughs bitterly, swiping an angry mob of bangs from his forehead.

She quickly catches the spark of indifference in his eyes and she knows that she has hurt his feelings. She opens her mouth, about to retract some damage, but he cuts her off.

"You know, I'm _so_ sorry you have to put up with me all the time. I mean, some people only have to put up with someone they dislike during the daytime, but _you?_" He takes a breath, his eyes looking wild, before continuing, "You have to share a room with me, you spend practically every second of every day with me. You wake up, and I'm there. How do you _breathe_?"

"Austin— " she tries again, voice feeling insignificant and lost in translation, but Austin still doesn't allow her to continue any further.

"No, you know what? If you're so sick of pretending to be my girlfriend," he blinks slowly; appearing nothing similar to the Austin she's so used to. "Why don't we just end it now and make it easier for you?" he suggests haughtily, failing to comprehend his own words as they roll off his tongue impulsively.

"That's not even— "

"No, no, it makes perfect sense," he says, his gaze hardened. "How about I just be my immature self during dinner so you can dump me? Since I'm clearly too much of a child for boring, adult Ally."

She feels the sharp jab of his insult and promptly chokes on the words she's yet to get out.

Swallowing her disappointment, she looks away for a brief second to collect herself, just praying for her voice to remain strong as she manages her own weak response to his angry rant.

"Why don't we?"

* * *

><p>Reaching the dinner table in a retro themed diner where the ceilings are high, but the lights hang purposely low; Austin and Ally take their respective seats next to each other, barely glancing in one another's directions in the process.<p>

They order their meals in the same manner, not so much as a touch, or even a brush here nor there; looking nothing familiar to the old Austin and Ally who seemed to have no sense of the term personal space.

Even when their waitress mixed up the placing of their orders by mistake, they exchanged their meals wordlessly, a grunt uttered by Austin and a cough escaping from Ally.

The conversations at the table seemed to flow fairly casually without the two as well, no one really speaking up about their lack of interaction until Joseph managed to get a little suspicious.

"You two have been a little quiet tonight," he notes before sticking a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth. He chews thoughtfully, surveying the two mute teenagers.

Austin stops eating, his jaws no longer chewing the food in his mouth, and Ally beside him nearly drops the fork she has in her hand.

Mimi takes furtive glances at the two's reaction before she sets her own cutlery down, eyes filling with worry. "Oh dear, did something happen?" she asks, before she then turns to Edna sitting on her left, giving her a look of concern.

The only chewing noises still heard from the table came from Austin's father, Mike Moon, who seems to be the only one still eating casually. "They're probably just acting all embarrassed 'cause we all saw them kiss earlier," he says, shrugging as if it were no big deal.

Austin skillfully ignores his father's wit and resumes eating his chicken nuggets and fries with a disgruntled glower and a slight clearing of his throat.

Ally, however, is quickly consumed with paranoia. "You guys saw that?" she squeaks. "You were in the hall?"

Eyebrows arise.

"We were talking about outside the small gift shop…" Edna trails off, mind falling in the gutters.

Mimi cuts in with excitement lighting up her features. "There was a kiss in the hall?"

Ally's panic grows, eyes now the size of saucers. "Pfft—no," she lies badly, her fingers making way to tug on a strand of her curly hair. "What kiss in the halls?"

Unfortunately for her, no one at the table seems the least convinced.

Austin rolls his eyes darkly at her comment, forgetting his hunger completely as he leans back into the chair. "Yes, I had to kiss her because certain dish washing boys like to make googley eyes at her as soon as they see an opening."

Ally exhales quietly in annoyance. "Please, that is not what happened."

He scoffs at her denial as he leans even further back in his chair, the front legs lifting up off the ground. "Really?" he quips. "Or are you just on his side because you like all the attention?"

An eye almost twitches. "Austin," she states in a warning tone, not liking what is going on.

"No, no, I get it," he replies in obviously forced nonchalance. He shrugs lightly and sets his chair back on the ground, making a notion to start eating again.

Ally glances in his direction hesitantly, hoping that is the last addition to his insane rant, but just as the food reaches his mouth, he can't stop one final sardonic comment from flying past his lips. "Bet you wish he was your boyfriend."

An exasperated noise of distress leaves her system as she seals her eyes in irritation. Hearing complete silence bestowed upon the table and completely unsure of how to respond to Austin's insane comment, Ally shifts uncomfortably, allowing her gaze to fall down to her skirt.

He turns to cock his head in her direction as an afterthought, insincerity flooding his intonation. "Sorry, was that too immature?"

She frowns at the unapologetic tone in his voice, then sighs as she takes this as her cue.

She pushes her seat back, her chair making an unpleasant noise as it scrapes across the black and white tiled floor of the diner. "Austin, may I speak to you for a second?"

Austin's chair joins hers shortly in the discordant symphony, as he too, gets up to leave. "Certainly, Ally," he utters in a flat tone, roughly shoving his seat back under the table as they both take their leave.

A beat of silence passes before Joseph awkwardly picks his fork back up in attempt to keep the Dinner conversation going without the duo. "Have we ever finished a complete meal without those two hooligans running off to do something of their own?" he asks in a joking tone, but his commentary falls upon deaf ears as everyone has their heads turned in the direction of the departed couple.

—

The two make their way a reasonable distance from their table by the window to just a few steps from the front counter where an unwired juke box stood there, placed for atmosphere.

Ally opens her mouth right away, about to call him out for the unnecessary mention a while ago, when he interrupts quickly.

"Make it look like we're fighting," he commands in a hushed fashion, making urgent movements with his hands.

Her mouth falls open. "What?" she questions in all her cluelessness.

His expression falls flat. "You're breaking up with me."

She splutters at his bluntness. "Right now?"

"Yes!" he answers in annoyance. "This is the most perfect time! We stand here and blow off steam at each other for a while and when we head back and you can apologize for not being able to do it anymore."

"Not being able to handle our relationship anymore?" she rephrases slowly.

"Exactly," he nods, his expression serious and solemn.

"Okay," she agrees with a hesitant nod. "How do we make it look like we're fighting?"

Austin shrugs quickly. "I don't know, put your hands to your hips or something, like you always do when you're yelling at me."

"I do not always do that!" she defends hotly, hands automatically flying to the area he just mentioned.

He gives her a look.

"Okay, next," she concedes a little exasperatedly.

"Just… act like we're having a discussion."

"But we are," she notes dryly.

"Then yelling, let's have some yelling!"

She flinches at his loudness, and steps to place a soft hand on his shoulder. "Okay, okay, don't overdo the yelling. I don't want us getting kicked out."

Upon the featherlike touch to his shoulder he dramatically jerks back his arm, forcing her to retract her hand. "Don't touch me!" he shouts, drawing away from her in the process. "It'll look like we're making up!"

Agitation fills her quickly as she moves her denied hand to cross her arms against her chest and she rolls her eyes for the up tenth time this evening.

Following his action, silence ensues as neither of them has actually faked a breakup before— which is only natural, because just the sentiment alone is purely ridiculous.

He certainly never thought he'd have to go through with something as stupid as a pretending to follow through with a breakup. Especially not with Ally.

He shifts a pupil to glance at her from the corner of his eye. Her uneasy stance and troubled eyes filled him to the brim with guilt. He can hear a version of his own ecstatic tone as he buzzed on and on about his foolproof plan that he came up with overnight of having Ally pretend to be his girlfriend.

Him, with that stupid grin stretched wide upon his face, thinking he was the craftiest, most cunning individual on the planet for his diabolical scheme, and Ally, with the slightly horrified, but knowing look in her eyes, already knowing she'd willingly be a part of his proposition. Because that's just what she does: she helps people.

He relives the hug of relief and merriment he envelopes her in when she agreed. The two of them intoxicated on nothing but strict proximity and joy.

What he wouldn't trade to go back to simpler times.

Back before his scumbag self and his idiocy ruined everything.

His only sense of remedy is the hope that things will start to come back together after the breakup. He can't just allow their relationship to sink any further into this mess off jealousy and drama.

He just needs her by his side as his song writer and best friend once again.

That's all he asks.

Austin gives it another beat or two of silence before Ally speaks up again. "Now what?" she wonders tastelessly.

He looks at her from his upturned head, lips separating themselves. "I…dunno…how long does it usually take to break up?"

She thinks for a second. "Should we maybe give it another minute?"

Instead of answering her question, he skillfully sneaks a peak at his family, who at this point are all looking sufficiently worried and understandably nosy. His eyebrows peak a little. "I think we're good."

They give each other a tiny nod of affirmation, and begin to head back to their seats.

An awful feeling of dread fills Ally as they near the table.

She hesitantly pulls her chair out and sits down again with Austin following suit, all eyes following them as they do so. The seat feels uncomfortable and unfamiliar, her weight looming over it in all her uncertainty.

Ally's breathing shallows a slight bit, her fingers weave together in attempt to calm herself.

Taking a deep breath, she decides to quickly get the inevitable over with.

"So listen…" she starts slowly, already about to be consumed by all the anticipated gazes that are eating her up, "I really don't mean to drop this on you guys, but…"

Pausing to give a sideways look to Austin's awaiting form; she notices his eyes looking hard and steady, his mouth curved, and ready to mouth the next words he expects to leave her mouth. Her gander then travels to Mike Moon, who's surprisingly also paying an incredible amount of attention to her, in that instant, he looks scarily similar to his son.

It then moves on to Joseph and Edna, who are both very obviously trying to hide their concern and curiosity.

What will they all think once she breaks up with Austin? He's their nephew; their cute blond heartthrob of a nephew. She's only just met them, too. Really, the circumstances all seem to be against her.

Gulping quietly, she gingerly wets her lips with her tongue and prepares to finally finish what she started. "I—I just think that—" The words refuse to leave her mouth, they absolutely refuse to. They were stuck against her tongue like glue.

Even word vomit would be more favorable at the moment.

Biting her lip helplessly, and looking up once again in desperation, she makes the mistake of looking into Mimi's hopeful eyes; an unbelievable amount of reliance and nervousness just gleams through the woman. The blond Moon appears to be only person at the table who seems to be expecting good news.

Realization dawns upon her. She can't do it. There's no possible way she can rip this woman's heart out like that. Austin's mother has been nothing but accepting ever since their first encounter.

Fake relationship or not, she'd want nothing but the best for the two of them, to work out their differences with as little confliction as possible, to carry on their alliance like they had done so well on the first days of the cruise, to hope that what the two of them have will last.

It takes her a while to understand that the female Moon's feelings mirrored her own.

She tucks an absent strand of hair away, finally unweaving her hands in perseverance. "I just think that…it was incredibly rude of us to leave dinner _yet again_ to pursue another argument." She takes a breath, not believing what she's about to do or how things are going to turn out. "But, I—I want to tell you that whatever happens, I'm sure we'll be able to power through," she finishes lamely, reproachfully redirecting the entirety of her speech in a new direction with much difficulty.

A sigh of relief escapes Edna as she presses a hand over her heart, eyes fluttering in repose. Joseph also appears to have relaxed by a fair amount as his shoulders visibly sag downward with the exit of air out his mouth. And Mike only gives a curt nod, eyes promptly drifting away from the brunette once again.

The only upside stems from seeing Mimi beaming proudly at her, probably already handing her the title of daughter-in-law.

From right beside her, Austin sits still, looking beyond thrown off, a sense of confusion and frustration apparent upon his facial expression. He does a take around the table and then settles to Ally, who all but avoids his gaze. She jerks her hand to sharply touch the metal fork she had been eating with earlier, even though food is the least of her thoughts.

Realizing Ally isn't about to acknowledge his presence, or their ignored dispatch plan, he turns outward on his chair, knee brushing against Ally's thigh. She flinches not too noticeably at the contact.

He leans ever so slightly towards her. "Wait," he drawls. "I'm pretty sure you were going to tell me something else."

She stops eating again.

Hating him for keeping all this directed attention to her, Ally gives him what she hopes to be an assuring smile.

"I was just going to remind you to start packing up your things, since we've only got about a day and a half left on this cruise."

He shakes his head persistently, intent on drawing out what he wants from her. "I don't think that was it."

"I'm sure it was," she insists lightly.

An eyebrow arches in retaliation. "You sounded pretty serious about it," he counters once again, not yet backing down.

She holds her ground fairly well, careful not to sound snappy. "Well, I'm pretty serious about sanitation and people being punctual."

What she gathers to be an angry silence is his response, but a second later he recoils.

"Well then, my bad," Austin mutters in apology, sinking back silently in his seat. But his dark brown eyes seem to say something completely different.

The rest of dinner was eaten rather difficultly with no one knowing what to talk about, or what to think about for that matter, but a sense of relief was unknowingly released by all the adults at the table, knowing that the dynamic duo were still together.

* * *

><p>Ally had been uncomfortable when she was finishing eating what was left of her dinner in the intentionally dim lights that provided a moody atmosphere for the diner.<p>

She was uncomfortable when she and Austin departed from the rest of the group to go in separate directions.

She was uncomfortable knowing she'd have to walk back the rest of the way to their room with him in what would either be deafening silence or amidst a heated argument.

She was uncomfortable when she followed him out of the elevator, his back looking scary and intimating to her anxiously pounding heart, while her steps were heavy and was mind wondering if she had made the right choice the entire way.

But standing just at the entrance of their room, with their recently shut door?

She's no longer uncomfortable.

She's scared.

She's not actually scared of him; rather, she's scared for their possibly crumbling friendship.

Just as the thought crosses her mind, Austin's hardened gaze takes focus of her.

"I'm sorry, I thought you wanted the break up to happen," he asks coldly, right hand still clamped on the knob of the door. His knuckles are white from the vice-like grip he keeps as he holds back his frustration.

Ally chews on her bottom lip, finding it increasingly difficult to look him in the eye. "It's not that easy," she says finally with a persistent shake of her head. She really doesn't want to go into detail.

She hears him exhale as he loosens his grip on the knob to cross his arms in an awaiting fashion. His pupils dart to the corner of his eyes as if he's processing the information she's just thrown out.

"What's so hard about it?" he asks carefully, trying to sound tentative.

Fidgeting slightly, she takes a vigilant sigh. "I like your family," she manages weakly. "I really don't wanna break their hearts at our failed relationship."

That's partially true.

He scoffs in a pompous tone, unsure of where he's getting all this bitterness from all of a sudden. "I thought you said we didn't have a relationship," he quips, feigning confusion in a darkened manner.

Ally's eyes narrow at him in a disapproving manner. "You know what I mean," she replies snappily, leaning her weight to one foot as she realizes this fight is going to last for quite a while.

"I really don't," he shoots back, rolling his eyes. He uncrosses his arms to gesture wildly at her. "You say you want to break this relationship up, you call me immature, and when I act _extra_ immature, setting up the perfect breakup for you; you back out last minute."

Coming out of his mouth, she really does sound vile.

"I just—" she begins, but she stops herself when she feels tears prick at the edges of her eyes at his words. She takes a deep breath, hating the fact that she's about to cry.

"So why don't you just break up with me?" she asks gently, blinking away all evidence of her sadness. Her eyes dart away from the scene in front of her, trying to keep her eyes occupied and useful.

He doesn't seem to notice her struggle as he runs a frustrated hand through his hair.

"Have you forgotten everything this plan has been about?" he asks with annoyance thick and apparent in his voice.

And to be honest, she really has forgotten what this entire thing has been about.

He shakes his head roughly, as if talking sense into her is a laborious chore. "This just brings us back to square one, how am supposed to act hung up over you if I'm the one breaking it off?"

An awful feeling settles into the bottom of her stomach. She looks up at him, unsuccessfully trying to mask the hurt on her face. It doesn't seem to matter anyway, because he's bristling too much to care.

Ally opens her mouth, voice sounding unusually calm and distant.

"Well, I, for one, am _sick_ and _tired_ of running around and trying to fix everything for you, Austin," she states, eyes boring into his, with a scary sense of confidence. Her gaze is challenging, and she has to bite down on her lip to stop it from quivering. Breathing in deeply again, she tries to ignore the crack in her voice as she speaks. "I didn't ask for any of this either."

Austin opens his mouth to interject, but she takes a step forward, effectively silencing him.

"No," she asserts. "I'm…I'm…" A pause again. "So, you…you just," Her broken fragments of sentences never finish, as she helplessly stifles the inevitable breakdown. She feels her fists shaking in suppressed sadness, feels the rush of devastation hit her, and this time she's sure he can see the tears streaming down her cheeks. He's the quietest he's ever been. She wants to tell him off, give him a piece of her mind, but her response is far weaker than she's hoped for. "From now on, you can do your own stupid damage control," she manages delicately.

Following her statement, the brief vibe of boldness disperses and her face crumples beneath the presence of unshed tears.

She hurriedly shoves past him, catching only the noise of surprise he makes when he's pushed away from the door.

She grips the knob of the door with trembling fingers and slams it loudly in an effort to drown out the choked sob that makes its way out of her throat as she makes her exit.

She comes to a halt outside the room, bowing her head down, her hair forming drapes to mask her weeping form. Sniffling a few times and wiping up the majority of wetness that occupied her cheeks, she quietly decides to take a little trip to the deck of the ship.

Taking one step forward, her eyebrows furrow in confusion at the sight of leather shoes.

Slowly lifting her head, the color drains little by little from her usual rosy complexion. Her feet have now lost the power to move forward and she's sure her blood's run cold.

There, right in front of her, is Mr. Moon with an unreadable expression present on his face. His eyes are wide and his lips are firmly together in a state of disorientation. Ignoring the surprise highlighted upon her face and her mouth agape, Mike arches an eyebrow at her tear-stained face while she remains in shocked silence.

Shoving his hands in his trouser pockets, he shifts his weight slightly, running his tongue over his lips before he opens his mouth to speak.

"That is not exactly the conversation you wanna hear when you go check up on your son."


	15. Liars and Lovers

**A/N: I apologize for the long gaps between these final chapters.**

**If you're looking for cute, well-written fluff to read while waiting for the next chapter, I highly suggest **_Christmas Things_**. The sequel for it is also out. It is the most adorable/badass thing in the fandom. **_ExtremeSaucicity_** is a master at manipulating people's emotions. Curse her.**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally.<strong>

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><p>What a terrible habit lying is.<p>

It is a terrible habit that everyone is taught never to do from the very moment they are out of their mother's womb. It is carefully frowned upon in the most sophisticated of literature and not so subtly criticised by almost every children's show with any kind of moral obligation.

Yet this nasty habit still finds a way to weasel itself into everyone's lives.

Sure, the casual white lie is okay some of the time. Of course, you can make someone feel beautiful in the tackiest, most shameful sweater you've ever seen. Yes, you can 'accidentally' misread the amount of calories in your friend's birthday cake.

But lying has consequences.

She even remembers giving Austin a very authentic speech on the dangers of lying, one filled with clever analogies and much exaggerated confidence, no less.

So really, she's got no one to blame but herself.

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><p>It's funny how through the entire walk down the halls she's become semi-accustomed with these past few days—even as she feels the imminent misfortune about to befall her—she regrets not buying a voodoo doll from that odd store keeper when they docked the islands.<p>

Because really, if they've got shrunken heads and loads of heavy wood merchandise, why not a voodoo doll?

Even as she's sitting here so _ridiculously_ far to the corner of the bed that she would fall if she were to lean any further to her right, she can't help but wonder which areas the pins would muster the most painful reaction from a certain male.

A certain _lying_ male.

Gritting her teeth, she settles on buying a voodoo doll the very second the ship docks on dry land again. Then she'll proceed in stealing a strand of his unfairly perfect hair from atop his clueless head, and right a majestic thumbtack in the area of the doll that god only intended to be treated nicely.

That sounds like a plan. Ally nods twice to herself feebly in affirmation.

Pushing past her sadistic thoughts, she diverts her attention back to her surroundings.

The Moons' bedroom had a completely different color scheme to their stylistically simple design. Their room certainly held more of an elegant vibe in contrast to her and Austin's more modern arrangement. Mimi Moon also seemed to be nowhere in sight. For that fact, Ally is grateful. She couldn't imagine the buoyant woman finding out the only relationship she properly witnessed her son having turned out to be a fake.

The thought alone killed her.

The tension is piercing, unbearable, breathing in every uncomfortable shift, every avoided attempt at eye contact.

Unable to stand the condescending silence any further, the songwriter opens her mouth in immediate apology. "I'm sorry I lied to you, sir," she states sincerely, feeling slight relief of at least managing to get her point across. She tightly gripped onto the thin fabric of her skirt for fear her tear ducts have not yet satisfied themselves.

Instantaneously following her outburst, Mike's eyes slowly shift over to her, all while she tries hard not to make direct eye contact with him, too afraid to find steely, fixated eyes condescending and filled with disapproval.

Instead, the older man heaves a sigh. "I'm sorry you had to kiss my son," he says in a surprisingly light tone. The brunette has a quick moment to ponder whether if he was serious or if he had been joking.

Carefully deciding on the latter, she lets out a small, barely audible chuckle out of forced politeness. It comes out as more of a nervous chirp than anything. The kind a bird makes right before a hungry feline unleashes its mighty claws.

A miniscule second later, her facial muscles tighten to form a serious face again, ready to accept full culpability for the disaster. "But really," she starts, fingers moving away from the material of her skirt to form a slightly defensive gesture, "I'm _so_ sorry about the whole thing."

The apology comes out sadly and shamefully, though a little more dejectedly than she planned. Her response is met with unfazed, yet unblinking, eyes and a curious bend of the older man's eyebrows.

Upon the silence that she takes as a cue to continue, she can only fumble clumsily with her fingers and stutter out the worst of assumptions fluttering her busy mind. "Or did you realize we were faking from the start?" Brown eyes begin shifting from side to side in a desperate attempt to recall any evidence that will support her theory.

Mike pauses to look away and take a quick sigh as if looking back and reprimanding himself for missing the obvious signs. "Honestly, no," he admits, a finger moving to scratch his temple. At Ally's surprised reaction, he quickly continues. "Well, I certainly won't deny thinking you two were an odd couple," he adds, setting his hand back to rest on his lap. "I just figured that whatever involved my son would always be odd."

Ally remains quiet, only making a tiny mental note of the sentimental drift his voice had taken.

It's funny. Usually she's the talkative one that can never shut up, and he's usually the quiet observer who only opens his mouth a few times a night to release some kind of sarcastic retort. But now, it's as if the tables have turned. She can barely seem to form coherent thoughts, let alone words, and he can't seem to stop asking questions.

His foots taps once. "Whose idea was it?" he asks, although his gaze tells her he already knows. When she gives him a tentative glance, he nods in predetermined confirmation. "It was Austin's, wasn't it?"

"A little bit," she accedes timidly, feeling a bit guilty for ratting out a friend.

But they were kind of amidst a fight so, oh well.

The sinking feeling repeats itself at the reminder.

"That kid." Mr. Moon grits his teeth, looking appropriately annoyed and exasperated; the most father-like Ally ever remembers seeing him before.

A flash of Austin's tussled blond hair and curve of his smile fly across her line of sight for the briefest of seconds and the guilt returns in tenfold. "He had his reasons," she hears her own voice utter softly. Mentally cursing herself and her tendency to back him up even after all this, she pushes the image of his cocky face out of her mind forcibly and gives a distracted cough.

He rubs his eyes tiredly at her words. "Please don't tell me he was trying to please us with a proper girlfriend."

Ally blushes slightly at being mentioned as even remotely similar to proper, but manages to compose herself. "Actually, he said he was sick of being set up on dates." She shrugs, letting that statement float in the air.

Absolute disconcert settles upon the male's countenance. "When have I ever bothered to get mixed in with his love life?"

She winces at his tone. "Um, I think he was referring to Mrs. Moon."

A beat of silence.

"This family is messed up," he deadpans, his pupils broken down in solemn defeat.

A giggle escapes Ally at the Moon's pure exasperation. And despite herself, she finds her fingers starting to relax from all her twiddling and fidgeting.

"So how did you get wound up in this?"

The question catches her off guard and she sobers completely. Anxiety settles back in the lowest pits of her stomach as her fingers stiffen.

Carefully settling a strand of her hair between her thumb and index finger, she fights the urge to let him witness the horrific display that is a human being feasting upon their own hair.

"He—he just—he asked me if I could do him a favor—I honestly wasn't thinking properly when he talked me into it."

A head tilt defines his curiosity as he lets this information seep in. "So you guys are good friends."

Her features soften. She nods. "The best."

"And that argument I just witnessed…" he trails off, leaving her enough dignity to continue for herself.

Her cheeks flame in utter chagrin at the memory, wanting nothing more than to erase those series of unfortunate events. Her voice sounds muffled and small coming out from the hands she stacks upon her face. "I totally screwed everything up."

Mike waits silently for her to continue, playing with the rim of a wine glass sitting on the bedside counter.

A huge groan of frustration becomes stifled in her throat. "It's just—well, it's complicated—you see, I was supposed to break up with him back when we were having dinner, and I, well…I—I didn't."

"Oh?" he inquires, the wine glass forgotten as leans most his weight on to his knee, eyes glassy with poorly disguised interest. "Why would you two need to break up?"

A sad laugh bubbles from her throat, and she tries her best to attempt nonchalance. "Well, we couldn't keep fake dating forever." An insistent shake of her head following the sentence deemed such a thought as silly.

"But you didn't break up with him." He's more knowing than she gives him credit for, really.

Realizing her lost in a conflict-filled inner battle, Ally's shoulders sag in defeat, coming completely clean at last. "I just didn't want to disappoint you guys."

He holds up a palm. "Hey, if our son is fine with shaming us, and abominably betraying our trust, you definitely have no need to feel bad," he jokes; his voice intonation dropping comically in an attempt to lighten the mood. But this time, she doesn't even crack a smile.

"It was really bad." Her voice wavers a little. "We've never had a fight this big."

The impact of her statement slowly dawns on her, and she feels the effects of suppressed apprehension beginning to claw at her.

After much unanticipated silence on his end, she peaks her head up to sneak a glance up at him.

The older man coughs abruptly at the attention. "Sorry," he quips, looking genuinely apologetic. "I'm not very good at making others feel better." He thinks over his words before deciding it was okay in adding another joke. "Really, just ask my wife."

A soft chortle escapes her this time. And soon a slow smile draws across her lips, glad for that fact that he is at least trying to make her feel better, and that contrary to her most morbid fears, he maybe doesn't dislike her as much as she initially thought he did. "Neither is Austin," she admits appreciatively.

An authentic smile appears on his face as well. "Like father, like son, huh?" he scratches a patch of his hair before rubbing his chin, contemplative. "Then I guess I'm to blame for this misfortune."

A stubborn shake of her head denies his statement, yet she doesn't press on. Her lack of a verbal response evokes another silence.

He coughs again, feeling a little out of place to be offering advice to the young girl. But she was officially and royally associated with his son, so he continues anyway. "So, I'm not very good at giving advice either, and I'm definitely not the most plugged in man when it comes to family, but don't you think this whole thing could just be a lack of communication?"

The brunette blinks twice at his suggestion. "We've never had a problem with communication before." She tries to sound certain, but her wavering tone proves the Moon may have a point.

"Irrational ideas tend to cause people to act irrationally." His fingers find the rim of his wine glass again.

Ally thinks back to all the not-so-rational behavior Austin was responsible for these past few days. "I guess so," she manages.

The term 'lack of communication' rang painfully in her ears. How did she allow her and one of her best friends to drift on to such foreign territories? This was Austin. The sweet pancake-eating, hug-giving, Quinceanera-dancing Austin.

The one that tipped her balancing scale into a full blown teeter totter.

The fingers sitting on her lap tighten into a fist in resolution. "I'm gonna go talk to him," she decides.

Mike's eyes shift, as if he had not been expecting her to be so easy to talk sense into. "You are?" he asks carefully as he watches her stand and smooth out her skirt with a decisive look in her eyes.

He is only slightly caught off guard when Ally turns towards him and wraps both her arms around him in a slightly awkward—but not unappreciated—hug. "Thanks for everything, Mr. Moon," she murmurs gratefully.

The moment is too sentimental for Mike's liking and he fights the urge to make another desperate joke. He eventually settles for patting her twice on the back in a clumsy and inelegant manner. "Alright, kiddo," he concedes as she pulls away. He manages a fatherly smile at her appreciative gaze. "Go talk some sense into that fool."

Her laughter is joyful as she nods in gratitude, already making her way to the door.

When her fingers reach the knob of the door, she exhales deeply, turns around and gives the male one final timid wave.

Then she was off.

The Moon scratches his head at the lively girl's absence, basking in silence for a while. He slowly walks himself over to one of the lounge chairs by the windows and props himself down in partial exhaustions and partial anticipation.

He breathes in the quiet for a long moment, wondering when his wife was returning when a look of amusement overtakes his features. "I don't even hug my own son," he muses laughingly to himself.

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><p>Not ten minutes later, a knocking was heard at the door.<p>

"Back already?" Mike mumbles to nobody in particular as he hauls himself up. The lounge chair groans quietly at the sudden absence of his weight as he makes his way to the entryway.

Pulling the door open, he's only a little caught off guard to see not the brunette songwriter his son had been supposedly dating, but rather his son, himself—the very subject of the conversation he'd just shared barely five minutes ago—head down and breathing heavily as if he's just finished running a marathon.

"Have you…"—a swallow of saliva—"seen Ally?" Austin rasps out, mouth not working quickly enough to take in the amount of oxygen his lungs so desperately needs. He straightens his back out with a final gasp for air to let his father see the restless expression upon his sharp features.

A sly smile creeps across Mike's complexion. "Out of breath here, are we?" he teases, a fist moving to rest against the door frame.

The breathing comes to a hull when Austin swipes an exhausted hand up to fix a stray strand of hair mobbing his eyesight. "I just—I messed up." He sounds every bit as shameful and guilty as Ally did when she apologized earlier sitting on the corner of the bed, and Mike finds himself feeling a strange sense of nostalgia.

He eyes the boy from top to bottom again, taking in his mismatched sneakers—one classic white, the other neon green—and askew buttons. The lull of his slowed breathing was still audible to the both of them.

Admiration for the distraught and unsettled young man, who's just so stupidly clueless—yet damned if not determined—takes the place of his amusement. The poor bloke has so much left to learn.

An entertained snort weasels its way out of his nostrils when he realizes he just referred to his immature fetus of an offspring as a young man. He transfers the fist resting against the frame of the door to crossing both his arms in expediency.

A quick recollection of the series of antics the two teenagers had pulled during their time on the cruise appears in his line of sight for a brief second in the form of a collage.

All they truly need now is a blessing.

Sighing, his voice booms. "Then what are you waiting for?" he demands anticipatively, eyes steely with an atypical quality seeming to be exuberating a sense of approval that's never before graced his visage. "Go get her."

The impact of the statement is monstrous.

For a moment, a questionable haze of suspicion flashes past Austin's brows, clearly not having expected to garner this sort of reaction from the middle aged mattress store owner. Then, it's as if someone had lit up an internal flame in his system, his features brighten at a rate so fast and so radiant; it completely baffles the older man.

Happiness and boldness dance across the arch of his lips, as his feet practically leap back into motion. "Yes, sir!" he calls animatedly, before turning his head the other direction and promptly picking up his pace.

But his father isn't done. "Oh, and Austin?"

The blond swivels around, impatient. His eyes still shining with newfound determination as he jogs in place. "Yeah, dad?"

A pensive exhalation. "Try not to let this one get away." His voice is light, but the message is there. Not a trace of sarcasm or sardonic intonation apparent in his speech this time. "I like her."

The singer's eyes widen momentarily at this truly gobsmacking moment. Then he nods twice in understanding. His grin is contagious. "Will do!" he calls enthusiastically, and then he's off again.

A foot steps out of the elegant room. "I'm serious!" Mr. Moon calls after him. "We'll hear about it from your mother for months!"

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><p>Running past room after room on the huge ocean liner; the air is just ripping right through Austin's chest, not giving him close to enough time to breathe. But at least this way the guilt from the awful fight earlier isn't eating him up and spitting him back out like it's been doing the last hour.<p>

If he wasn't so in shape, or so high on adrenaline, he doesn't think it would've been possible for him to run almost the entire length of the damned ship.

He doesn't have a strategy. He doesn't have an efficient map of the place, especially not in his cognitive mind. He doesn't even have a clue of what he is going to say to her when he sees her. His mind is just swimming with places she could be. He curses his legs for being too slow to comply with the speed of his thoughts.

After scrambling around the lobby, thoroughly surveying the game room and effectively scaring many families with brunette daughters, Austin races down the hallway on their floor one last time.

He is just about to check their bedroom again for the umpteenth time, when he spots the fire escape he has a very interesting recollection of climbing. Without thinking twice, he swings open the door and grips the steely metal ladder with all his might.

Climbing up the ladder fills him up with an odd sense of exhilaration. If the situation had been appropriate, he totally would have referred to himself as the second Spiderman…but without the spider bite or other cool powers.

Hauling himself over railing, a wave of fatigue washes over his figure; the cold air finally hits him, and he finally allows himself a moment to catch his breath.

The air is refreshing. The chilly oxygen is just easily breezing into his burning lungs. Sweat drips from his forehead, turning cold from the temperature before hitting the pad of the deck.

He feels like nothing but a mess of hybrid breathing and contracting lungs.

"Austin?" The voice is timid.

A thousand emotions flash through the blond's eyes—surprise, hope, guilt, and hundreds more—before he slowly—almost fearfully—lifts his head up.

There she is; standing a little off in the distance, under the pale glow of the moonlight. One hand is settled on her other elbow. With the brilliant moon bringing out the chestnut crowns of her hair, her porcelain features were almost indistinguishable, yet sharper than he could ever remember.

He hitches a breath at her beauty. She looks so breathtaking he could dissolve into a puddle right then and there and still be satisfied.

Her shifty eyes and nervous stance gives away the fact that she was a little uncomfortable, but just seeing her face, seeing her there, sends him with a twisted sense of relief.

A genuine grin—one too big for his face—one that cracked the corner of his lips and stretched too wide—erupted from the male. "Ally, _ALLY_."

He takes off running at her in full speed again, fuelled on by pure motivation and ecstasy. His muscles not even feeling the pull and contraction of the movement required to take his steps.

His grin must be contagious, because as the curve of her shoulders relaxed, and the elated spark in her eyes makes a reintroduction, she has the decency to crack a tiny smile at his presence too.

The tiny smile is turned into an exhilarated squeal as Austin promptly and _literally_ sweeps her off her feet to nuzzle her nose affectionately.

Music to his ears.


	16. Austin and Ally

**A/N: Last chapter of DC, not including the epilogue. Tears.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally**

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><p>A giggle fills the room.<p>

"Stop it, Austin," Ally concedes, her face tainted with the presence of a blush.

They're lying in bed; her stomach pressed against the sheets, his lips lightly brushing against the crevices of her knuckles nonstop in an almost circular motion. The giggling is constant now.

Honestly, cotton candy and rainbows would not have looked out of place with the amount of cuteness going on.

"Stop what?" he asks innocently, repeating the action slyly.

She tries her best to look serious as she swipes her hand away. "Stop _that_."

His pupils dilate a second in recollection before he smiles cheekily and makes a motion to reach for her other hand. The droning noise of his hum as he repeats the action with her other hand allows her to close her eyes in temporary peace.

It's crazy really; just an hour ago, the boy in front of her was responsible for the mess of tear tracts imprinted upon her face and the awful wreck of tangled knots in the pit of her stomach that seemed just impossible to undo.

It's not everyday you feel your carefully constructed friendship slash partnership crumbling skillfully at the hands of a savage god and a guy who maybe—sort of—puts cartwheels in her lower intestine.

But as his fingers brush upon a rather sensitive area of her skin, she almost hates herself for the high pitched shriek of delight that escapes from her.

"Okay, okay, that's really enough," she exclaims somberly, removing her hand away from him for good.

Austin lets out a pout before pushing his legs up and moving to sit up. She eyes him curiously as he extends a hand to help her up as well. She cautiously places her hand atop of his and willingly lets him pull her to a slightly hunched over sitting position

A soft smile plays on his lips as they both sit motionless on the bed. "Ally," he greets nonchalantly with an air of humor.

"Austin," she mimics, wondering where the conversation is headed.

After the rather grand display of PDA that occurred on the dock of the ship, the two could only bashfully resume semi-normal conversation on the way back while occasional, ear splitting grins overtook their faces.

And although part of her believed the relationship they shared seemed a little too bipolar for her liking, the merriment present in his every laugh reminded her of the fact that he was just as invested in this thing as she was. This…whatever it was they were a part of. This beautiful, comforting, occasionally self-destructive thing they have going on. Even if she's pretty sure she just used two very opposite terms to describe said relationship.

Austin's smile only drops the briefest of seconds before a new, slightly more nervous smile overtakes it. "I was thinking maybe, we should have _the talk_?"

"The talk?" A strand of her hair falls down her face as her head tilts to her side. His smile turns to a smirk at the sight and he gently tucks her hair behind her ear.

"A good, long, healthy talk." He nods.

This all seems very out of character for someone like him. She's always been the one who encourages talking out feelings and coming to terms with certain emotions. Then again, she hasn't been sticking very well to her morals these past few days. But he's always still been more of a live in the moment kind of guy.

She's just about to tell him as much when something in his dark brown eyes allows her to let him proceed before turning on to question mode.

"I owe you an apology." Well, she was right about one thing, Austin Moon sure doesn't like to beat around the bush when it comes to talks.

Her features soften and she opens her mouth, about to argue in his defense when he stops her with a raise of his index finger.

"Let me finish," he drops the finger when she makes no further indication to speak. A second later he continues. "Ally, I am so sorry. I know I dragged you into this whole mess, reacted horribly _and immaturely_ when things didn't go my way and threw that _huge_ tantrum," he stops to take a deep breath and shake his head in condescendence. "I just—I can't believe—I—oh my gosh." She watches his frustrated fingers rake through thick tufts of his hair. "But when you say certain things, it's just—I get all confused and—it—it makes my stomach hurt."

Her shoulders sag in miscomprehension and slight disappointment. "It makes your stomach hurt?" Her tone is almost sardonic.

"I'm not good at this," he deadpans. And the amount of defeat in his eyes makes her laugh harder than it should.

When the laughter subsides, she nudges his shoulder with her own affectionately. "For what it's worth, you're not _that_ immature."

A small sigh escapes him and she can tell he doesn't believe her. "Gee, _thanks_."

She waits for him to make eye contact with her again before giving him her signature grin, making sure to show all her teeth. Instead of returning it with one of his own, an almost fearful spark of rejection seems to be slowly overtaking his visage. And it all comes spewing out of him like word vomit.

"I like you, Ally," he blurts. He un-fists his hands in alarmed horror and comically holds them to his defense. "And that doesn't mean you automatically need to like me as well… I just… I thought you should know." His fingers are now fumbling pathetically with the flannel material of his shirt, as he waits patiently for her response.

Instead, she blinks a few times and her face blanks.

He mirrors her reaction unconsciously. He's not sure if she's catching his drift, otherwise she'd most likely be in the middle of professing her undying love for him, so he continues.

He decides to give her another push, clearing his throat. "I mean—I am just perfectly fine with being cruelly subjected to a lifetime sentencing in the _friendzone_," the cringe he makes while speaking implies otherwise. He sighs melodramatically, "You know, where the highlight of my days happen the ten minutes before I fall asleep each day thinking about the girl I'm destined to be with, only to be spared no relief when she makes a reappearance in my dreams with her haunting perfection and creamy sk-"

"Austin—enough, I like you, too." She tries hard to look exasperated, and she is, though an embarrassed hue of scarlet spreads unevenly upon her complexion. She is, after all, mostly flattered. It's hard not to be when someone of the opposite gender compliments you so bluntly and shamelessly.

"Oh, thank god," he breathes, his face filled with relief as he releases his tight grip on the bed sheets. A second later a massive grin overtakes his countenance. "You like me," he states.

She rolls her eyes, not denying the statement.

"You like me." Again the sentiment exits his mouth in an almost conceited fashion. She finds no hint of shame or embarrassment in the cocky blond in front of her. She's sure that if it were to be anybody else the gesture would come across as degrading.

"You like me, we like each other." He raises a suggestive eyebrow, and she returns it with one of utter disinterest. Really, she is starting to wonder why she puts up with him to begin with.

"You _like _me!" This time he sounds positively giddy and is probably just teasing her at this point, which is why she absolutely hates the fact that she cracks a smile.

"You like me, too," she counters.

He nods seriously. "I do."

"You better," her position shifts, "you did take my first kiss after all."

The tips of his lips curl in apology, making it look like he's wincing. Awkward silence falls flat between the two of them and it gives her enough time to rethink and regret her words.

"I'm sorry," he states seriously, cutting through the silence. He sounds almost pained and Ally absentmindedly sets her previously retracted hand upon his in consolation.

"Austin, it's okay. I was just kidding."

"Not that." He rubs his temple with the pad of his middle finger, looking frustrated with himself. When that doesn't seem to calm him down he dwindles his thumbs.

"I _am_ sorry for being your first kiss, but I'm also sorry for being your second kiss, and your third kiss—"

"—Actually Gary was my third kiss," she cuts in.

His eyes widen to the size of saucers.

"That son of a—"

"Kidding!" She flashes him her pearly teeth and his absurd seething retracts to an unnatural twitch. Ally hides her smile behind the presence of her pale hand as giggles begin to erupt from her.

"You're horrible," he states calmly, his arms folded evenly against his chest. She playfully sticks her tongue out at him and he chuckles quietly. "But just to clarify," he halts their action briefly, holding onto her shoulders in sudden urgency as she blinks rapidly in alarm. "…We do like each other right?"

She whacks him square in the face with the nearest pillow her tiny hands could reach.

He makes an obnoxious sound effect, sounding like a mixture of the viral lamb trending on Youtube and a distressed caveman. His fingers brush against his jaws in a rubbing motion, as if pillows were known to be able to cause serious damage. "Not nice!" he comments in a girly tone laced with faux-distress.

She grins widely, insulting his entire charming persona. "You gonna do something about it, _Rockstar_?"she asks teasingly. He _had_ just professed his feelings for her, and surely that deserves a reward.

Something flashes by his dark brown eyes, almost as if a filter had been added to their original color and his posture suddenly improves drastically. He subtly shifts closer to her, noticing the rare to never present rebellious spark igniting in her eyes.

She leans in, a quarter of an inch away from his lips, almost challenging him to make the next move. In reality, she's still a little afraid to be the one to initiate the kiss, but he doesn't need to know that.

Austin doesn't disappoint, his smirk disappearing slowly as he leans in further and kisses her soundly. His hand reaches to palm her face and conveniently pull her even closer. She swallows thickly, trying to control her breathing.

In all the other kisses, she had always been more focused on the fact that her and Austin were kissing, rather than Austin himself. Now at the moment, just the thought that she can feel his breath tickle her face makes her feel nervous beyond control.

But, pressed up so tightly against him allows the invigorating scent of his fabric softener and shampoo to enter her nostrils and remind her that even though she is kissing Austin, she's kissing _Austin_, and he's practically the best thing that has happened to her. It doesn't seem so scary after that.

It does however, feel weird kissing him without an audience, almost scandalous. Scandalous enough to leave a trail of goose bumps down her arms forming in the wake of his presence.

Though he doesn't seem to mind and neither does she as she tilts her head to give him slightly better access.

Just before the kiss begins to get heated up, Ally pulls away shyly, her smile tinted with purity and rosy cheeks. She looks so timid and innocent; he fights the urge to kiss her again and instead just settles for pulling her close for a tight embrace.

He feels the tip of her chin land on his shoulder and contentment spreads throughout his system.

They pull away just in time for a cloud to skitter across the pale moon, letting the ghost of a shadow dance across Ally's face before he can even register her bright eyes and beautiful smile.

He realizes in that instant, that she is perfect. She's perfect and she's right in front of him, beaming up at him as if he's all she sees.

Truthfully, Ally's beginning to realize why getting lost in someone's eyes is such an overused cliché. She finds herself unable to look away from his inviting gaze when a questionable flare of instigation surface in them.

"Hey!" An evil smile plants itself upon his features. "Let's go find Gary and show him even more of our amazing chemistry."

A scoff of utter pompousness gets stuck in her throat.

She hates him for ruining the moment and attempts to push him off the bed, but to her dismay, he bounces right back. Fast recovery seems to be a signature quality of his.

"He would just die!" he yells elatedly as he plants himself next to her again, hysterical laughter bubbling in his throat.

She leans away from him, whispering to no one in particular. "This is going to be a long night."

He laughs, scooting closer to her. His arm effortlessly lands on her shoulders and he coyly pulls her into his embrace.

* * *

><p>"Who do you think should get the bed for the last night?" Ally asks in a low but thoughtful voice, surprising Austin all of a sudden and effectively snapping him out of his short trance (he was totally not staring at her, by the way).<p>

Her slender fingers are already pulling at a lock of her hair in anticipation, and she looks positively starry eyed. He puffs a cheek up with air, looking back and forth between her and the bed.

And honestly, he can't care less about the piece of furniture in front of them, looking dead and forlorn without the presence of the two musicians tumbling over the mattress and its endless fortress of pillows. It already did its job in getting him and Ally to where they are now. And it did a pretty good job, too.

From beside him, he can hear Ally smile (he can tell by the soft exhalation through her nose) and pictures her quirking his lips. The image makes him happy. "Definitely me," he responds without hesitation.

She turns her head and gives him an easy smile.

"Alright…" she concedes slowly in a joking manner with the raise of a single teasing shoulder, "I just thought boyfriends were supposed to act kind and considerate towards their loving girlfriends," she responds tantalizingly, smartly quoting herself from the first night they arrived on the cruise ship.

But this time she can mean it when she says the word 'girlfriend.' The thought sends an excited chill down her spine.

Austin gives her a guilty smile, almost as if recalling the last time she said that. "And I have yet to disappoint." He spreads his arms open in a cocky manner.

She laughs breezily and pushes his shoulder. His pupils dilate for a fraction of a second, then a pointed smile stretches across his face. "We could always share it, you know?"

Ally cautiously looks up at him to check if he joking. "Share the bed?" she repeats. Her eyebrows perk in mild disbelief. "You mean like…share it?" She always knew her boyfriend was risqué, but this is verging on dangerously absent-minded bad boy.

Austin shrugs, keeping his expression neutral. "It's our last night here," he mutters quietly, actually trying quite hard to come off as casual.

She bites her lip, looking back to the comfortable bedding lying right in front of them. It sounds far too tempting than she would ever like to admit. She doesn't want to agree to such a crazy idea right away, but she doesn't want to shoot it down either. Ally decides her best bet is to stall.

"It's kind of small for two people."

Austin doesn't even blink. "We were both lying comfortably on it not two minutes ago."

She looks down bashfully, trying to hide her blush. "It's different when we're sleeping, we need space to toss and turn and stuff..."

He rolls his eyes at this. "You can have most of the bed, I sleep sideways anyways and I sleep like a _rock_." When she makes no comment, he urges further. "I won't even fight you for the blanket, I'll just wrap my arms really tightly around myself like this." Following his words, he showcases what he means by folding his arms like a mummy would in a tomb.

She bites down harder on her lip, still not saying anything, but the feeling of her resolve getting washed away is pretty apparent.

Austin sighs dejectedly, moving forward and plopping himself down on the bed. "It was just a suggestion." He turns on his side and pretends to go to sleep.

Ally, however, stays firmly rooted to her spot.

"…You won't fight me on the blanket _at all_?" she says finally. And Austin almost breaks his neck doing a double take over at her.

He swallows thickly, not believing this is happening. "Not even a little bit," he cements. His eyes shine hopefully as they lock gazes with each other.

Her teeth finally leave her lips as she walks swiftly over to the bed. Pulling the blankets quickly over herself, she catches him still staring at her like she's got two heads. She decides to speak up. "This is when you go to turn off the lights."

"Oh right!" Austin exclaims. He practically runs to the light, flicking them off loudly as well as clumsily, and nearly trips over his own feet on the run back to the bed. "Much better!" he professes, getting on the bed and crawling under the blanket as well.

He grins stupidly at her, as their eyes slowly adjust to the dimmer light of the pale moon outside and she doesn't remember ever seeing him this happy.

"Oh sorry," he mutters when he notices her eyes still trained on him. He hurriedly moves a pillow from behind him, placing it atop of where their heads lay before shifting slightly to the other side to give her more room.

She raises a bothered eyebrow, annoyed at how polite he's being. She shouldn't, of course. He's just being a first class gentleman, exactly what they promised upon. But she'd really feel so much better if he'd just put his damn arm around her.

Yes, despite her obvious, non-cited but existing morals, they were still on a cruise, and she believes a draft may possibly be present. This is a perfectly valid reason for her moving his arm to rest around her shoulders, and an even more valid reason for her to snuggle up against his chest as he is nice and cozy.

She can feel the vibration of his nervous gulp from the top of her head, and he's probably wondering what's gotten into her, but as she hears the movement of him lowering his head further to inhale her scent, she just really can't bring herself to care.

* * *

><p>Austin yawns again, tears forming from the corner of his eyes, multitasking as he eats a corn dog and hauls his luggage at the same time.<p>

Ally, who is much more so of a morning person than he will ever be, is animatedly talking to his family about some Japanese restaurant that had the "freshest salmon" in all of Miami and how eating healthier things like fish, or vegetables will not shrivel up your insides unlike unhealthy foods, namely corndogs for example.

He can't help but roll his eyes at this, grudgingly trailing behind everybody else. He's already positive his mother is going to steal Ally away for bonding time starting this day onwards. He almost wishes his mother weren't so enthusiastic about his new girlfriend.

Ally suddenly stops in her tracks and turns to face everybody, beaming radiantly. She un-grips the handle of her suitcase and everyone stops walking, amused smiles playing, waiting to hear what the brunette has the say.

She plays with the thin material of her skirt. "I want to thank you guys for everything, I just—this was the most fun I've had in quite a while."

"More fun than that cloud convention when you discovered that pickle shaped cloud?" Austin butt in, rudely cutting her sentimentality short as he takes a rather massive bite of his corn dog.

She sends him a stern look and he immediately raises his hands in surrender, both the hand previously hanging on the latch of the suitcase, and the one still holding the corn dog. A smile dances across his stuffed cheeks.

Mimi chuckles, clasping her hands together in delight. "It was _such_ a pleasure having you, dear." She smiles at Edna and Joe who both gave nods of assurances before continuing. "Austin is almost never pleasant on our family trips, and yet look at him; awake and hauling his own luggage!"

Chuckles surround the air and even Austin laughs along at his own expense.

Mike is the first to regain a solemn tone. He smiles mischievously as he eyes his son and his finally official girlfriend. "And hey," he begins, "maybe Ally would like to join us for dinner sometime."

Austin's face immediately illuminates at the suggestion and even Mimi looks to her husband in surprise.

"Yeah! What about tonight?!"Austin is already babbling excitedly about dinner options as he finishes his corndog carnivorously, dropping the leftover stick from the corndog in a tiny unzipped slot in his suitcase (it was a rather disgusting sight, but she'll forgive, at least he wasn't littering).

He moves to take her hand in his, still rambling about how he knows she likes lobster because the only good thing that came out of their encounter with the witch Demonica Dixon was the free meal they got out of it.

And with his other hand, he manages to pull both her suitcase and his own, the two of them laughing and losing themselves in inside jokes and old adventures that needed to be kept alive somehow.

Edna 'awws' softly in the background while Joe standing beside her, can't help but ruin the cute scene in front of them.

"By the way; nice sleeping arrangement last night, you two. Very space efficient!"


	17. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

* * *

><p>The Miami weather had always been a little too hot for Ally's liking.<p>

It's not that she's never noticed her contradictory attitude whilst living in possibly the sunniest city on the face of the planet. She's just always been a little more introverted, picking the option of staying home and writing music over taking advantage of this sunny paradise. She finds solace in wearing combat boots over flip flops, she's never found the need to visit the beach for a fun time—up until before she met her blond counterpart that is—and her pale skin is a disgrace to all residents of Miami with anything remotely similar to a tan.

These facts are all screamingly apparent as she finds herself back at the place she calls home.

The sweat trickles down her neck, wet and uncomfortable. She almost squirms under the violent waves of the sun's heat, and she's pretty much regretting her choice in wearing a longer dress this day, for every extra inch the dress covered, is every extra inch of her skin fighting for relief against this ridiculously hot weather.

But, something stops her from booking it straight into her Dad's music store where the air conditioning, though minimal—in hopes of conserving electric fees (much to her chagrin)—is almost always on to attract hot, sweaty people such as herself into the store.

And that something stopping her happens to be holding her hand.

A happy smile graces Austin's visage as he gives Ally's hand a tiny squeeze. She manages a blush at the action, not the kind you usually get from too much sun exposure.

"Are you ready?" he asks, his eyes glazed over with contentment.

She laughs a little, attempting to dissolve some of her insecurities slowly building up. "Sure," she nods, "we've done it once. We can do it again." Her tone is casual, but she wonders if he can read the hidden intimation hidden in her words.

Instead of a reply she feels the rough pad of his thumb gently rub over her knuckles in a circular motion. She turns to look at him on instinct to see his gaze still firmly set on Sonic Boom, his almost hyperactive smile from earlier having receded to an easygoing one.

She breathes out slowly, secretly attempting to calm her nerves and his rubbing soon slowly comes to a stop. She rubs her forehead tiredly with the hand not holding his, her features battling between feelings of excitement and nervousness.

"Who do we tell first?" she wonders, "my dad, or Trish and Dez?"

"Trish and Dez," he replies immediately, but he doesn't sound entirely sure. Surely, he misses telling his red-headed best friend everything going on his life. The poor ginger could still be waiting impatiently for Austin's hourly Tweeter updates currently on hiatus. Besides, she sure knows she could have done with a long girl to girl talk with Trish during the time on the cruise. She catches Austin mull over his words again, before giving a more determined nod. "Trish and Dez," he repeats.

She palms her face in horror. "I can't imagine how Trish and Dez are gonna take it."

"I hope they get a heart attack or something." He snorts with a humorous roll of his eyes. "They sure deserve it after almost ruining this entire thing with that disastrous phone call before."

Ally laughs a little, the memory seeming a tad far away. She nudges him carefully with her elbow. "Hey, the cute girl from the bathing suit shop might be still available for you to win over, you know?"

He turns to give her an affectionate glare, but she doesn't fail to notice the way his hand tightened around hers at those words. He raises an impatient eyebrow at her as she loses herself in a fit of giggles upon his reaction.

She laughs for another minute before she stops and returns his firm grip, squeezing tightly. "I was joking," she murmurs softly.

"I know," he says, swinging their arms back and forth daftly.

"I know," she repeats even quieter.

Their intertwined hands swing back and forth for a few minutes, mushy, lovesick expressions present on both their faces as they're lost in thought. Who would've thought that all it took to convert a friendship/partnership into an actual god honest relationship was a vacation? This just proves vacations are the key element to happiness.

Ally starts laughing again, causing their hand swinging to come to an abrupt halt. Austin looks over at her, waiting for her to speak.

"I'm just _really_ looking forward to my Dad hearing about how I've been secretly dating you the past months or so from your Mother." She shakes her head helplessly, her curls bouncing. "He'll most likely kill me."

He flashes a charming smile. "He can't kill you, because I need both you _and_ your dad at my house at 7 PM sharp for dinner tonight." He tucks a strand of her curly hair behind her ear, the action triggers brief nostalgia and she smiles too. He steps back. "Ooh, that reminds me; what was the day we told my folks we got together? We gotta remember to celebrate our anniversary every year on that date."

"Which one? The day we actually started dating, or the day when you realized you liked me?" she teases with an affectionate smile.

He grins back, rolling his eyes. "Very funny, but I totally saved our butts back during that conversation."

"Mmhmm," she agrees, hand at her lips; about to erupt in another fit of laughter.

He licks his lips in exasperation, sarcasm at the ready. "You know I would've thought your sense of humor would have evolved into something more stable by now."

She steps back also to send him a pointed look. Her eyebrows lower coming off as mildly uninterested in his comment. "Austin, you are the very proof that evolution can go backwards."

"I love you, too," he deadpans.

She just beams at him and connects their hands again as a way of apology. And it's exhilarating, really. The feeling of her slightly clammy hands coming together with his, he briefly thinks he's able to feel her pulse, but all of that gets pushed out of his mind because she is smiling so radiantly up at him that he cannot think straight.

"Think we'll be able to handle this, _boyfriend_?" she asks with a sultry smile, probably getting a kick out of what she's able to do to him. He returns the smile, chuckles erupting from his system.

Then, in one swift motion he pulls her close, his arms encircling her waist and her hands flying to his shoulders in surprise. He pecks her lips quickly before leaning back to give her a suave grin; his eyes practically dancing with mischief.

"I think we'll be able to balance it."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

**This is long. I have a lot of emotions. Bear with me.**

**There will be no sequel. A future one shot is most unlikely—not entirely out of the question—but extremely unlikely. It is done. This is the bittersweet end.**

**I don't know if I should be, but I am honestly very proud to have finished this. The marks the very first multi-chapter I ever finished. Finishing this story, I truly feel like a chapter of my life has just ended. **

**A part of me is super ecstatic that I won't have to worry about updating this story anymore, or have to open this file, all the while moaning overdramatically in exaggerated despair. **

**The other part of me is ready to tear up at the thought of never seeing this story pop up in the recently updated filter—not that this story was particularly well known for being updated regularly. **

**I hereby officially apologize for all the waiting I made you guys do. I had some really memorable moments laughing over death threats I received to update. This has been amazing. I want to tell you all how much it means to me that you guys care so much about this story. **

**Thank you all for following along with these two crazy lovebirds and this overused plot. **

**I still cannot believe the amazing response I received for this story. **

**This story has introduced me to this wonderful fandom, and I'm sure you're used to seeing this name by now but Caroline, I dedicate this story to you. Thank you for all your editing, suggestions and hard work you put into this. No one was more patient than you. **

**You people are all super sweet and I cannot wait to write for this fandom again. **

**On a final note: You guys were expecting a longer epilogue, weren't you? Trolololololololololololol.**

**(Happy Canada Day!)  
><strong>


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